


The red crow

by jijiwings



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, the hinata goes inarizaki fanfic noone wanted, who will hinata end up with??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:42:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24392254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jijiwings/pseuds/jijiwings
Summary: Training camp in Tokyo has ended. Karasuno's skills have improved a lot and the team has grown closer.But things are about to change, as Hinata has to move from Miyagi to Hyogo....
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/???, Hinata Shouyou/Everyone, Hinata Shouyou/Kita Shinsuke, Hinata Shouyou/Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Hinata Shouyou/Miya Atsumu, Hinata Shouyou/Oikawa Tooru, Hinata Shouyou/Suna Rintarou
Comments: 407
Kudos: 1906





	1. Goodbye, Karasuno

**Author's Note:**

> As there has been some confusion going around:  
> This story takes part BEFORE the spring tournament which is the qualification for Spring High

„You better make it to nationals, Karasuno!“, Kuroo said on their last day of training camp. Daichi looked at the fellow captain and nodded. “We will. And so should you! We have a match to play!”

The two teams grinned at each other, as everyone was already looking forward to it.

Hinata was the last one to finish packing his bag. The small boy took a sad breath and looked around. He had enjoyed the time with all the different teams. Having to leave today was making him sad. For some reason, he felt like things were going to change once he arrived in Miyagi and he did not like this feeling.

“Shoyou?”, a voice broke his thoughts. Hinata turned around and faced his friend Kenma. Nekoma’s setter held his PSP in his hands. “Is everything okay?” The decoy faced his bag again and looked down. “I am fine but somehow I feel like everything is going to change, Kenma. And this feeling is scaring me”, he admitted. It was easy to tell Kenma things like this. He knew, that his friend would never judge him for any thoughts, unlike certain people on his team, mainly Kageyama and Tsukishima.

“Obviously, things will change, that’s life, Shoyou. You might not be aware of that, but you changed a lot during this camp. Your receives and diving skills have improved a lot. You keep changing and it’s totally fine that you do. No need to be scared of change.” Kenma finished his little speech with a small smile. Hinata could not help but feel a little lighter after his friend’s words. “Thank you, Kenma. Maybe I am overthinking.” Hinata took his bag and looked around the room one last time to make sure nobody forgot anything. Kenma opened the door for him and the two friends went towards the bus that would take Hinata and his team back home.

“Make sure you keep training! But do not overwork yourself and take rest in between. If you need any help with schoolwork, let me know, Chibi-Chan”, Kuroo said while he bid farewell to Hinata. The smaller boy nodded and hugged the taller black haired male. The two had developed a certain friendship over the last couple of days that the two boys valued. “I will, thank you so much, Kuroo. Next time we meet in person, Karasuno is going to get ready to beat you, so you better be prepared.” Kuroo laughed and ruffled through Hinata’s hair. When Hinata went to talk to some others, Nekoma’s leader kept his eyes on the little player. “I cannot help but feel like change is to come”, he thought out loud.

As the bus left, everyone waved farewell to the leaving team. They could not wait for nationals to arrive, even though the way ahead of them was still though.

“See you on Monday!”, Hinata shouted as he bid farewell to his fellow team members whose parents had picked them up. “Are you sure you don’t want us to give you a ride home?”, Sugawara asked the first year. “No, thank you. I got more than enough energy to get home by bike. And in addition to that, I need my bike to get to school on Monday and your mother said it would not fit into the car.”

Hinata smiled at his vice-captain softly. “I will send you a message once I am home, Suga-Mom.” The fellow crows enjoyed this interaction between the two players. “Be careful, Hinata. We got nationals to qualify for”, Daichi said and Hinata nodded happily at him. As the decoy jumped on his bike, the others waited until he was not to be seen anymore, before entering their parents’ cars. However, they could not help the uneasy feeling they had. It felt like things were about to change and not in a good way.

\--

“I am back home!”, Hinata screamed as he entered his house. To his surprise, the house looked empty. For a split of a second Hinata feared that his family was robbed, but if this had been the case, it would not have looked this clean. “Oh, welcome back, Shoyou”, his mother appeared out of the living room. Her voice sounded serious. “Shoyou, we have to talk. Please come to the kitchen.” The uneasy feeling that he had felt while packing his bag suddenly came back. After taking of his shoes, he nodded and walked into the kitchen. His father and sister were both already sitting on the table and had a sad expression on their faces. He sat down next to his sister and looked at his parents. “Mom, Dad, can you tell me what is going on?”

His mother took a deep breath and looked at her husband. “Shoyou, we need to tell you something. You know that ‘Hikari Corp.’ keeps growing, right? Because your father has played an important role in establishing it in Miyagi, he has been transferred to Hyogo, in order to lead the opening of their newest facility.” Shoyou felt his gut hurting terribly and he did not enjoy the direction of this conversation at all.

“Shoyou, I am sorry, but we will move to Hyogo.”

. . . .

. . . . . .

. . . .

Everything seemed to freeze after these words.

Hinata felt so many emotions running through his body at the same time.

Not able to find any words, he jumped on his feet, rushed towards the door, put on his shoes and ran out of the house.

His parents looked after him sadly. “I feel so bad for him. It must be so hard, especially now after he has finally found a real team to play volleyball with. He was so excited to compete with them in further competitions.”, his mother said and leaned against her husband. “I am sorry as well. But it’s out of my control. He will be fine, don’t worry.”

Hinata ran without a real goal in mind. He ran wherever his feet carried him. Tears ran down his face while he screamed at the darkness, as it was already late night. “NO! WHY?! WHY NOW?! WHY AFTER WE ARE FINALLY A REAL TEAM?! WHY DO YOU TAKE AWAY MY HAPPINESS?!”

After several minutes of running he took a break to catch his breath and leaned against the nearest wall. Tears did not stop. The decoy felt devastated over the news. He did not want to leave. He wanted to stay in Miyagi. He did not want to transfer schools. He wanted to stay at Karasuno and qualify together with his team for nationals. He wanted to be part of the legendary Nekoma vs. Karasuno match.

But this was not going to happen.

“Karasuno’s number 10?”, he heard a surprised voice. Hinata turned around and faced Seijoh’s ace, Iwaizumi. “You okay? I heard a scream and rushed out of the house.” “Seijoh’s ace…”, Hinata tried to control his voice but failed. “I…. I am scared…” The elder’s eyes widened, and he placed his arm on the small player. “I know our schools are rivals when it comes to volleyball, but I do not want to see a fellow player like this. Let’s look for a place and you can tell me what has happened.” Hinata nodded and let himself being led by the ace to a park. They sat down next to the swings.

“Okay, so tell me what is wrong.” Hinata took a deep breath and told the elder about his parents’ plan to move which would lead to him having to transfer school. “I am scared to face my team, you know?” Iwaizumi nodded in as he understood it well. “But you cannot change it, can you? You will have to tell them about it. If you disappear without any words, they will feel betrayed and as if you do not care for them enough.” Hinata nodded and took a deep breath. “What should I do, Iwaizumi-san? I cannot wait for Monday when we are moving on Tuesday. But…. I am scared.” The ace nodded and faced the sky. He wanted to help the middle blocker.

“How about you ask them to meet you tomorrow? If you want to, I will be there with you, in case you are too scared to face them on your own.” “You would?” Iwaizumi nodded. This would be the first and last favor he could do for the small middle blocker.

“Yes, I will. Let’s send them a message.”

Iwaizumi brought Hinata back home, after they had sent Karasuno a message.

“Hey guys. I need to talk to you and it is really important. Please meet me in front of the school tomorrow at 11 am. – Hinata Shoyou”

All of them were confused, to say the least, yet agreed to meet up. Hinata bit his lips as he read their responses. “They won’t hate you, little one. And if they do, I will hit each of them.”

Hinata nodded and leaned against the older player. “Thank you so much.”

After Hinata had entered his home, he leaned against the door and closed his eyes in pain. His gut feeling had been right. His life was to change, and not the way Kenma had meant it. One last tear ran across his face as he went upstairs to his room and began packing his stuff.

Iwaizumi stayed a while in front of Hinata’s house. The ace wished to do more for the young player, than simply being with him when he broke the news to his team. Hinata had told him the fear of not being able to play in any real matches, since he did not know if his new school had a volleyball team at all. As the player was aware about Hinata’s past where he had no true team, this fear was logical. There had to be something, he could do. But what…? Maybe Oikawa could help, he wondered as he walked back home. He hated to admit it, but his bestfriend and captain would be able to figure out a plan for sure. Sighing deeply, he took out his phone and called him. “Yo, Trashy-Kawa. I need your help… ”

The next morning came way too quick for Hinata’s liking. He did not sleep at all, as he was scared to break down the news to his team. Once again, he thanked the sky, that Seijoh’s ace had offered to be by his side when he told them. He walked to the mirror and put on his uniform and looked at himself. This would be the last time, he would wear the t-shirt with his number. Tears started to form in his eyes again and he whipped them away. He had to be strong. Facing the clock, he noticed that it was almost time to face his fear. “Karasuno, fight. Shoyou, fight.”

He was the last one to arrive. Everyone else stared at him with different expressions. Some were annoyed (Tsuki), others were confused (Noya & Tanaka), others seemed to be genuinely worried (Suga-mom and Daichi-dad) and one person’s expression was blank. Iwaizumi was also already there. The ace turned to him with a small and encouraging smile. ‘You can do it’, was the meaning behind this smile.

“Shoyou, what is going on? We only met yesterday and now you ask us to come to school on a Saturday? And what is Seijoh’s ace doing here. You got some explaining to do, young crow.”, Daichi said and broke the silence.

He looked at Iwaizumi one last time, before he turned to his team and bowed down in an 90 degree ankle. “Thank you so much for becoming my first team. I know, I was not of good use in many situations, but I was happy being with you guys.” Tears started to make their ways to Hinata’s eyes again, but he fought against it. He faced his team, locking eyes with everyone. “My parents told me, that we have to move. On Tuesday, we are moving to Hyogo. Which means, that the training camp was the last time I was able to play with you guys. Thank you so much for giving me this experience.”

Everything was quiet. Nobody knew what to say. The third years looked at each other and bit their lips. They wanted to say something, but what? Everyone knew how hard Hinata had worked to be as useful as possible. Kageyama felt his world spinning. He had worked so hard to perfect the new move with the middle blocker and now it was to no use? Kageyama wanted to mad at his partner, he really wanted to. However, he knew that he wasn’t the one hurting. Hinata was hurting. Everyone could see how their teammate fought against the tears.

“Well, we cannot change it, can we? Shoyou, you may be small, but the gap you are leaving behind is large.”, Nishinoya broke the silence as the first one. He opened up his arms for the middleblocker. “Give your senpai a hug, won’t ya? I will never forget the amazing time we shared. It was a true blessing. Wherever your way leads you, you are a crow. You will stay a member of our team. No distance can change that. Thank you for your effort.” “N-Noya-senpai…” Iwaizumi gave Hinata a small push and made him rush into his senpai’s arms. He smiled softly at the picture of the two players in front of him. The two stayed like this for a while.

Seijoh’s ace turned to face Karasuno’s captain. “Daichi-san, could I borrow you for a second? I have an idea and I need your help…” ´

No one noticed that two boys disappeared to talk in private, as for this moment the other players had their entire focus on Hinata. They would miss him, no one dared to deny it. “You better make sure to join your new school’s volleyball team, boke!”, Kageyama told his partner. “You might suck, but not as much as you did at the start of this year. I want to face you at nationals!” Hinata nodded at his partner and smiled brightly. Maybe there was something positive to it though.

“Wow, I cannot believe this is happening”, Sugawara said to Tanaka. “I dreamed of us reaching nationals together, it’s a pity Shoyou won’t be there with us.” The fellow player nodded and fought against tears. “I will miss him. He made practice so much more fun. It will be weird going to the gym and him not being there.”

The rest of the day was spent with, what else, volleyball. Even though the team had just come back from an intense training camp, no one wanted to do anything else. They did not want to have one last chance to play with their decoy and therefore everyone agreed to do what they loved doing as a team.

Iwaizumi, who had returned after his conversation with Daichi, kept watching the crows and smiled softly. It’s been a while ago, since he had seen them playing and they seemed so different. When during their prior matches they seemed like a little mess and no real team, their teamwork has improved a lot. Their little number ten had also changed a lot. His technique and movements on court seemed better than the ace had ever witnessed.

“Thank you so much for the day!”, Hinata said at the end and bowed down in front of everyone. “I will see you in school on Monday!” He hugged everyone of them. When he stood in front of Seojioh’s ace he bit his lips, unsure if he should hug him or not. The elder took this decision and pulled him into a tight hug. “No matter where you are, you will be fine, Chibi-chan”, he said softly. Hinata smiled sadly at the ace and lowered his head. “I hope you are right, ace…”

It was time for him to leave, since he had a lot of packing to do. He looked at his team, who were all smiling softly at him. In this moment he realized once again, how much they truly meant to him. He would miss them for sure.

The next day Hinata was busy helping his parents cleaning the house and looking for things that might have been forgotten to pack. The boy looked around the house and felt sad how empty it was. He sat down in his room and looked around it. Almost all of his stuff had been packed into boxes, leaving only his essentials there. His training clothes were one of these essentials.

“Seems like I will be the first one to bid farewell to the team and not the third years…”, he said to no one and smiled sadly. He did not want to leave, but he knew he had no say in that matter. He still had to tell Kenma about these news, he realized. But he could not bring himself to tell his friend about it.

“Shoyou…?”, his mother entered his room carefully. She felt really bad for not letting her son know earlier about this change, however, she had tried to push it back as much as she could. It had not worked in her favor. “Can I sit down?” Shoyou nodded and pointed at his bed. She smiled lightly and sat down beside her son. “I am so sorry, Shoyou. I tried to come out with an idea to let us stay here, so you could keep going to Karasuno, but it did not work.” Shoyou nodded and smiled sadly. “I understand it, Mom. I am not angry at you, okay? I am just sad…” His mother smiled sadly at her son and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so much, Shoyou. I will make sure to do all I can to make you happy in Hyogo, okay?” The orange haired boy nodded and smiled warmly again. “Thank you, Mom.”

When Hinata woke up the next day with a mixed feeling. It was his last day at Karasuno. It was his last day with his team. He bit his lips in order to fight the tears. He didn’t want to cry before even going to school. One last time he put on his uniform and stared at the mirror. “Hello, last day at Karasuno”, he told himself and smiled softly, his eyes wandering around his uniform, taking in all the little details about it. The small buttons who did not seem white but cream. The way his jacket was still took big on him. He would miss this feeling for sure.

Morning practice wasn’t different from usually. It seemed like everyone had agreed to make it seem like a regular training. And Shoyou was grateful for this. It made the beginning of the day easier to handle, while he felt like crying. No more runs with Kageyama or waiting for him to buy his milk.

“Hinata, can you wait after school in your classroom?”, Daichi asked when the boys put on their uniforms to get to class. “Ehm… Sure?”, the boy in question answered, not sure what to say. His captain smiled warmly at him and ruffled his hair. “See you later, Shoyou.”

The rest of his school day went by like a flight. He had told his classmates about him moving tomorrow, so obviously the day was spent with a lot of goodbyes and hugs. The closer it got to the ending, the sadder Shoyou got. He was not ready to say goodbye to his team. He totally did not want to come to this point. But it was inevitable.

“Goodbye, Hinata Shoyou”, his home room teacher said and gave Hinata a hug. “Please continue being your sunny self. And also try to focus on school a little bit more. You are smart, if you not only used your entire focus on volleyball.” But her smile was warm as she told him, she cared about him. “Thank you, sensei. I will not forget what you taught me. I will continue to work hard and hope to make you proud.” He bowed down in front of her and tears made their way into his eyes.

The time had come to say goodbye to his team. And he did not want to do that.

“YAH, KARASUNO’S NUMBER TEN!”, he heard a loud voice and turned around. His eyes widened and he faced Oikawa. “G-Grand king! W-what are you doing here?” Seijoh’s setter smirked at him and walked into his classroom. “I heard you are leaving. Are you that afraid to face me in an official match again?” The setter smirked and pulled him up. “Let’s go and play a little, won’t we?”

Shoyou’s eyes began to sparkle and the boy nodded. “YES!”

The two player went into the gym and to his surprise, it was filled with many people. Not only was everyone from Seijoh’s team there, but also Nekoma, Dateko, and even Fukurodani. Hinata’s eyes teared up as they smiled happily at him, the crows standing in front of them.

“Today might be your last day as a student of Karasuno high, but you will always be our number 10! You showed us to never even think of underestimating someone due to his height. Hinata Shoyou, we will miss you. And you should know, that if you ever feel like coming back here, you have a home in Miyagi.” Daichi walked towards Hinata, who was fighting the tears, and put an arm on the small player.

“EVERYONE! Let’s compete like we were at nationals!”

A loud “YES!” was heard and Oikawa pushed Hinata into the gym. The boy turned around and smiled at the player and nodded happily. Shoyou felt blessed that they had taken the time to let him play against them one last time as a crow. “THANK YOU SO MUCH”, he shouted and hugged his captain. The fellow team members joined the hug, even Tsukki and the rest watched it affectionally.

“Shoyou will be fine”, Kenma said to Kuroo. “No matter where he goes, he will be able to make new friends. Shoyou is Shoyou after all.” Kuroo nodded in response to his friend as he watched the crows interacting with their leaving one. “And no matter where he goes, we are by his side. Does not matter if it is the end of Japan or the end of the world.”

The rest of day was filled with match after match, Hinata’s energy seemed to have no end. But the day had an end and he knew that he had to go home, as they were leaving the next day. In addition to that, Fukurodani and Nekoma had a 2.5 hour trip in front of them to head home. Hinata did not want to say goodbye. But he had to.

“It’s time…”, he thought as he looked at the clock in the gym. Tears made their way to his eyes again and this time he did not fight them. Kenma, who had been watching his friend the entire time, was by his side at once and pulled him into a hug. “Shoyou, don’t be scared of the new beginning. You will find your way, I know it. If you need me, no matter where you are, I am one call away.” Hinata buried his head in his friend’s chest. Kuroo placed his hand on Hinata’s head and patted it. Bukoto made his way to his student and placed his arm on the small boy as well. In no time, player from all teams had come to Hinata, even if it was just to pat his back shortly and make space for others. Though he might not be close to each of them, they all respected the short player and his desire to become the best player he could be a lot.

“Shoyou”, Daichi broke the little happening. Hinata broke the hug and walked to his captain. “I know you do not want to this to happen, but it is time.” Hinata nodded at his leader and bowed down in front of the teams. “T-Thank you for taking the time and letting me play with and against you one last time as a Karasuno player. Thank you for taking the long way, only to let me have these moments one last time. T-Thank you for teaching me so much. T-Thank you for everything. These m-moments will stay in my mind forever.” Tears ran across his cheeks, but he did not care. “THANK YOU SO MUCH!” There were so many things he wanted to say, but Shoyou could not voice them. But everyone understood. Team after team hugged him and told him goodbye, not without giving him a small gift, which he was supposed to open in Hyogo.

The last team to bid him farewell was Nekoma. Everyone hugged him tightly and told him kind words. They would miss him during their practice matches, as the small boy was popular among them. Kenma did not leave yet. He knew, he should be there when his friend said goodbye to his team. “Shoyou, this is hard for all of us, you know? We said so many things already, that we decided to not make it even harder for you, than it already is. Everyone of us will say one thing to you. I hope this is okay.” Hinata nodded at his captain and lowered his head in respect.

“Look after your health, okay? And listen to your senpais, unless they are weird”, Kyoko said and gave Hinata a small hug, of course to the pain of Nishinoya and Tanaka.

“H-Hinata! Please be careful! Hyogo has a different dialect and it might be hard, but you can get used to it! B-Be careful when reading your exam questions!”, Yachi said and fought against the tears.

“You may be annoying, but I guess it was fun with you. Use your brain to study once in a while, will ya?”, Tsukki began and hugged Hinata shortly.

“I know no one who loves volleyball more than you, you will find a way to play, I am sure of it”, Yamaguchi followed his best friend and hugged Hinata a little longer.

“You are a weird one, Chibi. But you are a cool one“, Narita followed and messed Shoyou’s hair.

“Your potential is insane, keep working on it“, Kinoshita said and smiled softly.

“Keep up the good work, will you? You can make it on top, I am sure of it”, Ennoshita voiced to Shoyou.

“Thank you for reminding me why I love volleyball that much. If it was not for you, I do not think I would have returned. Your future is bright“, Asahi thanked Shoyou and hugged his kohai.

“You were my first ever kohai. Eventhough you were nothing but trouble at the beginning, I am proud of having you as my kohai. Just because you are leaving for some weird school, it does not mean you are not my kohai anymore! If you see any city boys, show them what I taught you!”, Tanaka screamed while fighting the tears and hugged Hinata.

“We met not too long ago, but your receives have improved a lot. Your energy and workethics is totally out of this world, Shoyou. So many told you, that you can make it, and since I am your COOL senpai, I want to say something special. Therefore I will not say, that you will make it. I am telling you, that no matter where you are going, we are proud of you.”, Nishinoya told Hinata and jumped on him to hug him in full Nishinoya-style.

Sugawara and Daichi decided to walk together to Hinata and hugged their young son. “You are insane, Shoyou. It was an honor getting to know you. You did make us some troubles, but we did not mind at all. We are all so proud of you. Please don’t forget it. Also, if there is not a chance for you to sign up for a volleyball where you will go to school, Karasuno will work even harder and carry your tricot to nationals. We will make it, it is our promise to you.” Sugawara teared up and whipped Shoyou’s tears away. It was useless though, as new tears made their way to his eyes. Daichi kissed Shoyou’s head.

Kageyama was the last one. Hinata was not ready for this. He looked at his partner and forced himself to smile. “You better keep up with your insane setting skills, you understand me, king?” Kageyama shock his head and laughed lightly. “Who are you to tell me that, boke? You better make sure to join the volleyball team and get them to nationals! Our next battle is on national curt!” The two partners stared each other before hugging each other tightly.

Sugawara took a picture of this hug and smiled. He was just as sad as everyone else, that the player had to leave, however, he was proud of his kohai. And he knew, that they would meet again.

\- - -

Shoyou looked out of the car window as he saw houses, trees and others passing by. The family had gotten up really early, since they had to overcome a distance of over 600 km (= 400 miles) to get to their new home. Natsu had cried in the morning, since she did not want to leave her friends. If Shoyou had an tears left, he would have cried as well. But after yesterday, he did not feel like he could cry anymore. Saying goodbye to his team had been harder than he had imagined. He had been allowed to unpack their farewell gift, a little crow with orange hair. Shoyou had no idea how they had managed to find one that quickly, but he did not question it.

Instead he asked the question, he had totally forgotten to ask.

“Mom, Dad, what’s the name of my new school by the way?”, he asked.

“Oh, I haven’t told you yet?”

Shoyou shock his head.

“Inarizaki.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> This chapter turned out to be way longer than I planned it to be
> 
> Next chapter is Hinata having his first day at Inarizaki and I cannot wait to write + upload it hehehe  
> I wanna gift this chapter some amazing people: Chia, Nana and Kiara + my meowcell cult hehe  
> Love you uwu
> 
> Comments, subs and kuddos are loved ./////.


	2. Little stray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Hinata's first day at Inarzaki.  
> How will the boy get along with his new school?  
> And what about volleyball?

“Inarizaki.”

The name of his new school kept echoing in Hinata’s mind. Of course, he knew that name. Everyone interested in volleyball knew it. Inarizaki was known to be one of the best teams in Japan. Their performances at the nationals had shown everyone their power.

Hinata was going to transfer to Inarizaki, out of all schools possible to join. He gulped. His prior fear of joining a school with no volleyball turned into the fear of not being good enough to join the team of one of the biggest powerhouse schools in the entire nation.

“Inarizaki…”

Hinata looked at the little crow and smiled sadly. It was 3 pm and his former team would start their practice now. A single tear left his eye as he thought about his team. “I miss you guys so much…”

Meanwhile the crows tried to begin their first practice without their little sunshine. The general mood was quiet and sad, as the gap left by Hinata was more obvious now. The energetic 2nd year students did not rush through the gym and were calmer than anyone had ever seen them. There was nobody who screamed loudly and made everyone laugh. The one who made them laugh was away. Kageyama struggled the most. Going to class and not seeing his partner had hit him harder than he had anticipated. “Boke… Why did you leave now?”, he asked as he starred at the net imagining Hinata running towards it and spiking.

To sum up, their first practice without Hinata Shoyou was no real training session. It was a meeting between friends, who missed their fellow friend.

Daichi watched his team and fought the tears. He knew that he had to get them moving soon. They had promised Hinata, that they would make it to nationals. And Daichi would never be able to forgive himself if they failed to keep their promise.

Their new house was huge. Natsu and Shoyou could not believe their eyes as they saw it for the first time. Just as in Miyagi, it was also located on a mountain. But it was way brighter and seemed more inviting than their last one. The kids had troubles closing their mouths and kept staring at it. Their mother laughed. “Oh well, seems like you like our new home. We are lucky, that we found this so quickly.” The kids nodded. “Let’s get the stuff inside. Shoyou, your room is underneath the roof and Natsu yours is next to the garden.” The two kids nodded and began to help their parents carrying boxes inside the house.

It was late at night, when Hinata finished unpacking his boxes and coming up with a system for all his belongings. He looked out of the window and looked for stars. “I wonder if we are all watching the stars right now…”, he said and sat down on his bed. Tomorrow he would start his new school life at Inarizaki. He hadn’t mentioned his new school to anyone yet. Why? Because he knew everyone would talk him in finding the volleyball team.

But for the first time, Hinata Shoyou was unsure if he could keep playing volleyball. His basic skills were still on a really low level and he had a long way to go. Back at Karasuno, Kageyama’s setting skills had led to him being able to spike quick and difficult balls but without his setter… Was he really a good player?

Yes, he had improved a lot, but was it enough to being accepted in a powerhouse team? Hinata was unsure about that. He looked at his phone and his fingers wandered of the call button. He wanted to ask someone for advice. “I miss you guys so much….”, he thought as tears made their way into his eyes again.

Just as he was to burst out into tears, his phone rang. The caller surprised him. It was Iwaizumi. “S-Seijho’s ace?”, he answered his phone. The other side laughed. “Yes, it’s me. And here I was to believe we have grown closer, but you keep calling me ace. I am Hajime, get it?”, the ace laughed.

“I am sorry. Why did you call… Hajime”, Shoyou wondered and got up from his bed. “I was thinking that tomorrow is your first day at your new school. I just wanted to ensure, that you are fine.”

“I could lie and say that I fine, but I am not. H-Hajime, I miss them so much. I am so scared of going to school tomorrow… ”. Hinata bit his lips and let some tears be heard. Iwaizumi let out a soft laugh. “I guess telling you, that there is no need to be worried won’t help you. If I was in your position, I guess I would be scared as well. But from how I got to meet you, you are one to make friends easily and get through any challenge that is put in your way. Just go to school tomorrow and be yourself. There will be people who will be happy to welcome you in their lives.”

After the conversation with the Seijho player, Hinata felt lighter. He hoped that the ace was right. As he laid in bed, he thought about the volleyball team. He hadn’t told anyone his new school yet. Mostly, because he was too scared and did not want them to force him to join the team right away.

“Wow, Inarizaki High School is really huge”, Hinata mouthed as he stood in front the school building. Just like in Miyagi, he had to ride his bike in order to get to school. At least one part of his routine would not change.

“You okay kid? You seem pretty lost”, a sudden voice said. Hinata flinched and turned around. He faced a tanned, tall man. And the boy recognized him straight away. It was the team’s wing spiker, Aran Ojiro. He looked even taller in person than on pictures. Hinata played with his uniform a little. “E-Ehm, I do not know how to get to the administration”, he admitted. “AH! You are the new kid who transferred in the middle of the year.” Hinata’s eyes widened. People had been talking about him already..? This was scaring him even more. The elder seemed to realize the panic his words have caused and put his arm on Hinata’s shoulder. “Not in a bad way! It is just uncommon for Inarizaki to get a new student during this time. The first years are excited and told everyone, that’s how I got word of it. But now, let’s get you to the administration. My name is Aran Ojiro! I am a third year, so I am your first senpai here. Welcome to Inarizaki High School!”

After Ojiro had brought the new kid to the office, he went into the gym for his morning practice. The rest of the team was waiting for him, some, especially Atsumu, seemed really annoyed about him being late. The captain raised an eyebrow, which asked the wing spiker to explain the reason for his delay. “I met the new kid in front of the building today. First I thought it was some middle schooler who got lost, since that boy is really small. And then I felt responsible for him, as he seemed to be really frightened, so I was a good senpai and lead him to the administration office.” Kita nodded and pointed at the dressing room, a silent instruction for the wing spiker to get dressed.

“I feel bad for the new boy. Must suck leaving all friends behind. Maybe he did some sports and had to leave his team”, one of the first-year members said. A silent nod was followed. Kita agreed with his under classmates. However, this was not the time to feel bad for the new boy. They had nationals to qualify for and the captain would kill his team if they did not make it.

“Alright, now that Aran is with us, let’s start practice. Suna, it is your turn to lead practice today.” The middle blocker nodded, and the session began. But during the entire time, the new kid never left Kita’s mind. For some reason, he felt the desire to find that boy and look after him. Probably because he was a stray fox and Kita had a weird obsession with looking after strays.

“These are our sports facility. We got a huge variety of different sports, from volleyball over athletic sports to swimming. Do you enjoy sports, Hinata-kun?”, his new homeroom teacher, Yokari-senesei asked as she showed him the huge school building. “Ehm, yes. But I am not sure if I want to join a sports club.” His teacher nodded. “Inarizaki is proud to be home of many great teams, but our biggest pride is our volleyball club. They have achieved so many records and we are currently the best team in the entire Hyogo.” Hinata smiled sadly at these words. The wish to introduce himself to the team and try out for them grew, however, after hearing his sensei’s words, he felt discouraged. He did not have to lie to himself. The only reason he got in Karasuno was because of Kageyama and his insane setting skills and not due to his own skills.

“Hinata-kun?”, his teacher brought him back to reality. He hadn’t realized that he had totally zoned out while starring at the volleyball gym. The door was slightly open. For a split of a second, he met the eyes of a grey haired boy, who closed the door and mouthed something the boy was unable to hear. His sensei showed him the way to the classroom and told him about other amazing offers at Inarizaki High School. The orange haired boy let out a tired sigh as he already felt drained, without having met any of his classmates.

Kita could have scolded Osamu for not closing the door correctly, but instead he grinned. He had met the eyes of a boy he had never seen before at this school. It must have been the stray and his eyes held a feeling of longing and desire. The captain had to laugh about how invested he was in that stray. Kita wanted to get to know the stray and understand where this longing came from.

“H-Hello! I am Hinata Shoyou and I just moved from Miyagi to Hyogo. Please look after me!”, Shoyou introduced himself in front of his new classroom. They all stared at him almost like foxes at a little baby crow. That was how he felt at least. “Hinata-san, please sit down next to Itsuki-kun. Could you please raise your hand?” A boy with red hair raised his hand and smiled brightly at him. “I showed him the school building already, however as you know many different clubs, I would like to ask you to show around in that field.” Itsuki nodded and pointed at the seat next to him. Hinata bowed deeply in front of his class once again and walked to his seat. “Hello, Hinata-san! I am Itsuki Akiara. Nice to meet you.” The orange haired boy nodded softly as he took out his school materials and faced his gaze onto the blackboard as the lecture had begun. If he was unsure whether or not he could join the volleyball team, he should at least try and pay attention in class.

During the first break everyone stormed to the new student and asked him tons of questions. They wanted to know why he had transferred now and other stuff about Miyagi. Hinata did not enjoy the attention, as he would have preferred to get some calm time to get used to the new school. He answered almost every question. The only one he did not answer was whether or not he wanted to join any clubs. As there was still some time left, Hinata excused himself and went to find the bathroom and unlocked his phone. He had gotten many messages from his friends wishing him good luck at his new school and asking for its name. Shoyou knew, that he had tell them soon. But he did not want them to know. Not yet. Not before he had made his decision.

Right when he entered the bathroom, he crushed into someone. This situation was almost too ironic for him, keeping his track record of weird encounters at the toilet in mind. “Be careful. Eyes on the front and not on your phone.. OH! It’s you! The new kid.” Hinata Shoyou had just crushed into Aran Ojiro. He looked down. “I am sorry, Aran-senpai.” “Don’t be! I did not get to know your name though. It’s impolite to not introduce yourself to your upper classmates, you know?” Hinata nodded. “I am sorry, Aran-senpai. My name is Hinata Shoyou. Thank you for taking care of me.” The male smiled softly and ruffled through Shoyou’s hair. Something along this action reminded Hinata about Daichi, that he felt tears running into his eyes. The boy bowed one more time, before he rushed into a toilet cabin and closed it behind him, tears already running along his face. “Daichi-san…”

Aran on the other hand looked after the small boy, since he had noticed the tears on his face but figured out, that the boy wanted to be on his own. The wing spiker went into his classroom and sat down next to his friend. “Shinsuke, I saw him again. His name is Hinata Shoyou. After I ruffled through his hair, he almost started to cry and rushed away to be alone.” Kita listened to his friend’s words and looked out of the window. It was almost ironic how the both of them had taken an interest in this stray and cared more than they would like to voice.

“Shoyou-chan, I would love to show you some clubs now, but sadly I need to hurry and attend my own club! I am the golden fox of the swimming team and since competitions are coming, I need to train extra hard. But feel free to stay on campus and look for yourself. Every club has its door open, especially for potential new members”, Akiara said when classes ended. The two boys had talked in between classes and decided to switch to first name base. Hinata nodded and packed his bag. “Wow, you must be really good than. Don’t worry, Akiara. I will be fine.” His friend smiled relieved and waved. “See you tomorrow! And once again welcome to Inarizaki!”

“Welcome to Inarzaki” Shoyou wondered how many times he heard this sentence that day. Everyone seemed to be excited about him being here, even without knowing his past. The boy laughed dryly as he thought about potential reactions he might have gotten if he told anyone that back in Karasuno he was part of the official volleyball team.

Suddenly Hinata remembered that he hadn’t opened Nekoma’s farewell gift which he was allowed to open today. Once he got home, he would do that.

But it felt wrong heading home directly after school. Since middle school he always stayed after school for training, no matter if it was with a team or on his own.

In a split of a second, he decided to make a typical Hinata move – sneak into the volleyball gym and watch their training in secret. He could already hear Daichi’s groan and Suga’s laugh on this plan. The boy locked his bag in his locker and rushed to the volleyball gym. The door was still open as the team was coming in slowly. Hinata rushed inside and looked for a good place to hide. He found one in a corner. It was on the side of the gym and would not pull a lot of attention to him, or at least that’s what Hinata wanted to believe.

“Osamu, please, for the sake of god close the door”, someone said. Everyone seemed to be there. Hinata had to cover his mouth with his hand when he saw the famous team standing meters away from him. The grey-haired boy from the morning began to talk about the training plan for the day. The team nodded and started practicing without any fuss.

How different it was compared to Karasuno, where Noya would make a fuss and talk about any random thing. Hinata bit his cheek to fight any sadness coming. He was here to watch a powerhouse in action, not to cry after his team.

Everything blew his mind, when he saw the setter setting for the first time. Hinata had worked with several different setters at this point, thanks to Tokyo training camp. But seeing Inarizaki’s setter blew it all. The former middle blocker clearly saw the direction the ball was heading for. The spiker hit the ball without any troubles. “Osamu, you need to hit it with more force!”, the setter complained. Only than Hinata realized the similarity between the two players. Somewhere in his mind he found the information on the famous Inarizaki twins.

“Wow, they are as good as their reputation”, he said. Being in his own world, Hinata failed to notice the eyes that kept watching him, since his little sentence.

Kita had amazing ears and was able to detect any foreign voice in matter of seconds. His eyes found the little stray fox hiding in a corner and watching their session. Initially, he wanted to go to the boy and ask him, why he was hiding in the corner instead of going to them and introduce himself. But than his curiosity won, and he let the boy be. He wanted to know the reason behind the new kid’s action.

Once training was over, everyone left the gym. The gym stayed unlocked until 9 pm, as Aikara had mentioned earlier that day. Hinata went out of his hiding spot and stretched his muscles. He wanted to practice a little. There was this desire to spike and hit the ball inside of his little body.

Hinata found the balls and started throwing himself ball after ball and hitting ball after all. It was different than training with someone else. But it was enough to satisfy the biggest craving inside him. “Hinata nice kill!”, he empowered himself when he did a good hit.

As it was useless to work on receives on his own, Hinata decided to work on his serves.

Back in Tokyo Bukoto and Kuroo gave him some good advice on serving and Hinata wanted to try them out. After several tries, he managed to get a good one. The small player felt the wave of excitement running through his body and he jumped in joy. He could not wait to tell any…

Oh… Right..

He had no one to tell. He was practicing on his own.

He wasn’t in a training session with his team. He was alone in a gym in Hyogo. Stupid him had forgotten about it.

Hinata looked around and saw the ball he had been hitting for some time now.

He was stupid to forget his current situation.

He really was…

While Hinata believed to be alone during his little training session, he was not. Kita was there the entire time and watched the little boy practice on his own. He seemed to know how to practice and understand where his mistakes were. At first the captain did not want to believe that this small kid was going for spikes, but the more the stray played, the better understanding Kita got. This wasn’t his first time playing, Kita was sure of that. What he had seen was the practice session of a volleyball player. “That explains the longing in his eyes. But why won’t he come to us and introduce himself…? Volleyball is a team sport. He won’t get anywhere on his own…”

Kita looked around the gym and thought about the movements the boy had made. The potential waiting to be unlocked was insane. The captain imagined Atsumu setting for the stray. Inarizaki would be even more powerful.

But at the same time Kita did not want to rush anything. Good things come to those who wait. And he would wait for the kid to come to them. And if he believed his intuition, the stray would come to find them soon.

When Hinata got home, his parents asked him all kinds of questions regarding his school and the boy did his best to answer them all, without talking about volleyball. The boy excused himself and went upstairs in his room and grabbed Nekoma’s gift from his shelf. He did not feel ready to open it though. Knowing Nekoma, it was something amazing. Kenma was his bestfriend after all.

Hinata looked at the box one more time and took his phone and called Kenma. “Shoyou! How was your school day?”, Kenma answered the phone. Hinata laughed lightly at the sound of his friend. “The building is huge.”

“You haven’t told me the name yet. I need to know where my best friend is studying now.”

Hinata had hoped he would be able to avoid this question in person. Because Kenma was familiar with Inarizaki. Some of the stories he knew on his school came from his friend. He had met them at nationals last year.

“I was about to open your gift! And because I was sure I would miss you once I opened it, I thought might call you as well.” “You are avoiding my question, Shoyou. But if you don’t want to talk about it now, it is okay. You must have a reason for this. Okay, open your gift! The team has asked on your reaction, since you haven’t written any text yet.”

Hinata laughed happily and turned his phone on speaker. “Okay, I am unwrapping the gift of the one and only Nekoma High School Volleyball club”, he announced and teared the wrapping paper away. The boy could not believe his eyes when he saw the content. “K-Kenma, y-you guys have to be…” “… kidding you? No, we are not. After some talking the entire team agreed that for a crow like you who jumps more than anyone else on the court, so you need shoes that won’t come in your way. These are the best volleyball shoes out there right now.”

Hinata was speechless. The boy stared at the shoe box and tried to express his words in feelings, but failed. On the other line Kenma was laughing. “Everyone knows that you have been eyeing them for a while now.” Suddenly Hinata felt bad for not telling his friend about his school and the possibility of him not joining the team. “T-Thank you so much! Please tell the rest of the team how grateful I am. K-Kenma, you truly are the best.”

“I am the best I can be for my best friend.”

The night was restless for the crow. He could not close an eye. Nekoma had spend a fortune on the best volleyball shoes on the market and here he was, unsure if he could even walk to the team.

“What shall I do…?”

Nobody questioned the reason for his dark circles the next day. Instead his mother gave him his bento box and smiled when he left the house. She could not help but feel really sorry for her son, who hadn’t mentioned volleyball since the day the left Miyagi. But she knew better than to force her son.

“Shoyou-Chan!”, Hinata turned around and saw Aikara. The boy grinned brightly and ran towards him. “Good morning! Did you look for a club to join?” Hinata shook his head and the two boys walked towards their classroom. “A pity. There are so many amazing clubs at Inarizaki. You want me to walk you around after school?” Hinata was unsure what to answer. He had planned to sneak into the volleyball gym after classes.

“Err, don’t you have training? You mentioned something about being the golden fox of the swimming team! What does this mean? It is such a cool name!” The swimmer’s eyes started to sparkle and it reminded Hinata so much of himself. “Oh right, you do not know this yet. At Inarizaki we call promising hopes ‘Golden Fox’. There is not a golden fox in every field and every team. You need to be incredible to get the honor of being called a golden fox. To be totally honest with you, I do not understand why I am even called the golden fox of the swimming team. Most of our golden foxes are in the volleyball team though. There are a total of 3 golden foxes, which is insane. No wonder why the school holds that team this high.”

Aikara had no idea, that while talking this high about the team, he hurt his new friend. Hinata stopped listening at one point. Hearing how amazing the team was hurt him more and more. If there were three golden foxes, there was no place for him for sure. His time of playing volleyball had been really shirt.

Kita saw the two friends walking along the hall and heard parts of their conversation. He also did not fail to see the sadness in the stray’s eyes. He wasn’t a fan of the title “golden fox”. It added more pressure than honor. It also made their achievements seem less striking as it was expected from them. The captain of the volleyball club observed the stray until he was out of his sigh.

Yesterday he believed not to rush the stray, but after seeing the sadness over the knowledge of golden foxes, he felt the urge to speed up the process a little. The stray was someone of rare talent after all.

Paying attention became easier with each class Shoyou had. Since he did not have practice in the morning, he was able to put his entire focus on his teacher’s voice. However, he noticed the difference in knowledge, as they thought materials which relied on basics he had never heard of before.

“Hinata-kun? Could you please come to the teacher’s room?” Everyone in his class starred at him. Hinata blushed lightly ashamed and nodded. “Aikara? Would you mind showing me where it is…?” His friend nodded and led him to the room. Standing next to his teacher was the grey-haired boy from the volleyball team. Hinata’s eyes widened as he walked to them.

“Hinata-kun, this is Kita Shinsuke. Captain of the volleyball team but also one of our smartest students. I thought there might be a difference in the materials we are teaching compared to those you had in Miyagi. I have talked to some teachers and we believe that it might help you having a tutor from a higher class to help you in areas you are lacking knowledge. I decided to trust Kita-kun with this. Do not worry to ask him anything. He is one of my most trusted students and I am sure he will be able to help you no matter where you might have troubles. Well, you two can leave and talk to each other in private to get to know each other.” Hinata did not have the chance to say anything, instead he bowed down in front of his teacher and Kita.

“H-Hello. My name is Hinata Shoyou. Thank you for looking after me, Kita-senpai.” Kita did not try to hide his smile as the stray bowed down in front of him.

“Nice to meet you, Hinata Shoyou. I will do my best in guiding you, little stray.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all  
> I wanted to thank all of you for the crazy amount of feedback "red crow" has gotten so far
> 
> There was no way I would have believed to get this many comments  
> Every comment made me so happy and feeling warm inside!  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter just as much as the first one .////.
> 
> Thank you for your interest!
> 
> I will continue in working hard to provide you a good story and hopefully make you happy while reading it ^-^
> 
> As always, comments, kuddos and subs are LOVED .////.  
> Please share your opinion on this chapter as I really wanna know it  
> Also, take a guess whom he will meet in the next chapter ;D


	3. Hungry eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kita could not help but feel like the stray was different today. Yesterday he was watching the training session with sadness and hunger. Today, his eyes were excited and hungry. Something must have happened since the last time he had seen him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three is here!!  
> Special thanks to the amazing @lalathebambi for beta reading ^-^  
> Have fun reading it and see you at the end

"Nice to meet you, Hinata Shouyou. I will do my best in guiding you, little stray."

Kita smiled at the little stray, who seemed to be confused. When he was asked if he could become the new student's tutor, he agreed in a heartbeat. It gave him the chance to get to know the stray better and adapt his plan accordingly.

"I was told that we have the next hour to talk a little to get to know each other and also about where you are standing in terms of education. The schedule is surely different compared to your former school, right?" The stray pouted a little and nodded as they made their way to one of the many study rooms, which were provided by the school.

"Yes, it is. I feel like I'm in a totally different grade and not a first-year." Kita laughed about the stray's words and opened the door. "I will do my best to help with any troubles you might have now, or that come up later. On top of that, it must be tough for you to transfer during the middle of the school year. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I had to leave school and my team, especially before the upcoming nationals."

And there it was. The sadness in Hinata's eyes. The same look Kita had seen several times already. He had assumed that talking about volleyball might trigger something, but he wanted to test it. And it indeed did. But behind the sadness in his eyes, there was also a desire and fire. It felt like the stray had a real passion and love for volleyball, one that Kita had only seen in Atsumu so far, and Atsumu was known for being the most passionate about volleyball in the entire team.

Kita bit down a grin and shifted their focus back to classwork.

After the hour was over, Hinata deeply bowed in front of his senpai. "Thank you so much, Kita-senpai! This one hour has helped me a lot already. I will do my best and study the topics we have discussed so far." The elder smiled warmly and ruffled Hinata's hair. "If any questions rise up, you can always come to my class. It is 3-7. If you want to talk after school, we can do it after volleyball practice. We usually finish practice around 5 pm." Hinata nodded and bowed down once again and rushed to his classroom.

"Now stray, will you be there during practice or after practice?", Kita wondered as he smirked lightly. This was not supposed to be fun; however, it was. It was a game where the reward was an unshaped diamond for the volleyball team.

It was time for PE, a class Hinata was actually really looking forward to. Despite the shoes being mainly intended for volleyball, the boy had taken them with him to test them out. He could not wait to run in them and do whatever he was asked to.

"Someone seems to be really excited," Aikara laughed as they both got dressed. Hinata grinned at his friend and nodded brightly. "Yes, I am. Cannot wait to see how your PE classes are like." Aikara laughed and put his arm around his friend as they both went towards the running track. "Well, the ones who do not like sports argue that it's more like athletic training than an actual PE class. They're not wrong, but I still think it's still fun." Hinata nodded and smiled brightly. He could not wait to run in the shoes Nekoma had gifted him.

Their teacher was already on track, waiting for the class, grinning at the arrival of the students.

"Since we have a new student, we need to test his abilities, right class?" The class shouted their agreement, and Hinata felt Aikara pushing him towards the teacher.

"Traitor," Hinata mouthed to his friend, who laughed in response.

"Just so you know, Hinata-kun, I asked a 2nd year to assist me in testing your abilities. Suna-kun?"

A boy with black hair and a blank expression walked towards the class. Hinata felt his blood freezing as he recognized him. It was Suna Rintaro, a member of the volleyball team. Hinata had seen him receiving at yesterday's practice, and to say he was starstruck was an understatement. His nervousness was suddenly replaced with the excitement to prove his abilities. His eyes sparkled with eagerness at the prospect of impressing the amazing middle blocker.

"Suna-kun, can you please time Hinata-kun's 100 meters dash? We will measure his jumping reach after that. Hinata-kun, please warm-up then just run as fast as you can for Suna-kun, okay?" Hinata nodded. Before he went to the position, he did some jumping and stretching. He knew the importance of preparation.

Suna, on the other hand, was surprised to see the little orange-haired boy doing stretches that were commonly used among volleyball players. The initial annoyance he had felt when the teacher asked him to assist him, was replaced with curiosity. After the boy had gone to the starting position, Suna waited for the signal, and once it came, he started the timer.

And damn.

The boy was incredibly fast.

It felt like merely a second had passed from the moment Suna started the timer to the moment the new boy stood next to him. The shock over the new boy's speed was seen in everyone's expressions. The boy excitedly jumped up and down as he asked for the time. When Suna told him his time, he pouted lightly, murmuring something along the lines that this was some Kageyamas (?) usual time and not his typical time and went back to the group of students who had yet to recover from the shock. Suna shook his head and followed the group as they made their way to test the new boy's other skills.

The new shoes felt terrific. Hinata could not believe the difference they made. Running and jumping felt so much easier compared to his old gym shoes. After he got dressed back into his school uniform, he looked at his shoes and smiled softly. "Thank you so much, Nekoma. You really are the best. And Kenma, I am sorry…", he said sadly and packed his shoes into his bag.

What Hinata did not know was that Suna had kept watching him. The middle blocker heard Hinata's words clearly since the young boy was the last one in the locker room. Usually, Suna would not care about a new kid. But the boy had caught his interest. Everything from his warm-ups to his stats and lastly to the fact that he seemed to own a pair of "Adidas Originals Crazyfights," known to be the best volleyball shoes out there, had awakened his interest.

Since he had some time before practice, the middle blocker decided to do some research on Hinata.

Suna knew there had to be more to him, and he was determined to find out who exactly is Hinata Shouyou.

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly for Hinata. The only class he had left was English, where his teacher praised him for his perfect grammar. Shouyou smiled brightly and inwardly thanking Yachi and Tsukki, who had done a great job in teaching him. He could not help but feel a little proud of himself. The boy couldn't wait to text Kageyama about his progress.

Next to him, Aikara was shocked over the smile that was on his new friend's face. Sure, he had seen Shouyou smiling several times, but not like this. This was the first time he saw a genuine smile on his friend's face. Aikara could not help but wonder what was missing in Hinata's life, which restricted him from smiling like this all the time.

When class ended, the two friends were too busy packing their stuff, they didn't notice the tall figure standing in front of them. When Hinata looked up, he felt like he was in one of his iconic bathroom situations of running into yet another scary player.

"You're Hinata Shouyou, right? I saw your times record for the short distance run, and I am really impressed." Hinata gulped down in fear and nodded. The tall boy continued. "I am Ito Minato, captain of the athletics team. To my knowledge, you have not joined any clubs yet, have you? I want to invite you to participate in one of our practices to see if you would like to join us."

Hinata started shaking. While he felt honored to being recruited, he could not help the uneasy feeling he got from the fellow man. Moreover, he could never betray volleyball like that, could he?

Aikara felt his friend's uneasiness and decided to intervene. "Thank you for coming all the way to our classroom, Ito-Senpai. Hinata is still new here, and I think he would prefer time in getting adjusted to the school before joining a club, right?" Hinata nodded and turned to face the elder. "It's just like Itsuki said. Sorry for making you go all the way to get such a response."

The captain seemed to be annoyed over this answer. "Well, you better get used quickly than. I hate people who do not know their position in life." After these words, the boy turned around and left the two boys on their own.

"Thank you for saving me, Aikara…" "Oh, it was nothing. You seemed to be afraid, and I understand why. Ito-senpai is known for being cold and ruthless. In my opinion, I think he hates that the volleyball club has higher standing than the athletics team. There was a rumor about him having tried out volleyball once but not making it and therefore hating the sport. However, that is old gossip. By the way, I am so sorry for not being able to spend time with you after school again, Shouyou. But you know, competitions are coming…" Shoyou laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry and head to practice!" His friend grinned appreciatively before leaving him alone in the classroom. The smile he had on fell down the moment he was alone.

It was his 2nd day at Inarizaki, and he still had not shown himself to the volleyball club. But he yearned to play in a team again. Was he ready to quit playing it all together?

During his little internal crisis, he heard familiar voices popping up in his mind.

_I don't know anyone who loves volleyball more than you_.

_Keep up the excellent work, will you? You can make it on top, I am sure of it_.

_I am telling you that no matter where you go, we will always be proud of you._

_You better make sure to join the volleyball team and get them to nationals! Our next battle is on the national court_.

All these words, his team had told him before he left Miyagi.

All these words of support and encouragement.

Hinata did not have to dwell on living without volleyball. He just had to face his fears of introducing himself to the volleyball team and prove his worth. He would show them that Hinata Shoyou was a valuable player. Even without a genius setter like Kageyama.

But today, he would watch them one last time.

And tomorrow, he would present himself.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Nekoma was getting ready for their practice session. The overall mood, however, was not at the best level. It was mainly due to their setter having a negative aura around him, and none dared to even come close to him.

"Lev, I told you not to piss him off," Yaku glared at their youngest and most annoying player. Lev shook his head quickly. "I did not do anything! I know it must be weird for him that Hinata has moved, so I decided to leave him on his own." "Kuroo, did you delete his gameplay again?" the libero faced their captain. He had done it several times already, and each time Kenma was more furious than the last time. Kuroo also shook his head and moved his hand through his hair. "No, I haven't been to his house for a while now."

The black-haired boy turned around and walked to his friend, hitting his head lightly. "Get out of it, Kenma. This is unlike you. Lev has been behaving, your streams are doing fine, and the new games on the market are promising. From a logical point of view, there is no reason for you to be pissed, so tell me what is wrong with you."

Kenma took a breath and leaned against the wall. "Shouyou has been off. First, he does not text me in the morning to talk about the gift we gave him, and then he avoids telling me which school he attends. I know it is only his 3rd day in Hyogo, but he never keeps anything from me."

Kuroo thought for a second before he finally understood it. The Chibi was never one to keep things for himself, especially from Kenma. Everyone who had seen the two players interact got a good understanding of their unlikely but profound friendship. It was a friendship built around respect and trust for the other. Kuroo could not deny that on occasions, he envied their kind of friendship. Sure, he and Kenma shared a fantastic bond, but it was not on the same level as Kenma and Hinata's. He also wished to get to know the Chibi more personally. Hinata Shoyou was indeed one of the most interesting people he had ever met. He was really short, but he worked harder than anyone to make up for that central disadvantage. Nekoma's captain understood that the only reason Lev has won a couple of in-air fights against Hinata was because of his height and not because he was more skilled.

"I think he will have his reason for not telling you yet. You trust each other, right? Then trust him to tell you once he is ready. Chibi-Chan would never hide something this important from you if he did not have valid reasons." After saying this, Kuroo turned around and walked back to his other teammates. They had to get ready for qualifiers to get to nationals after all.

Kita was surprised that the stray had not made his way to their practice session that day. For some reason, he had hoped to see the little stray hiding in the corner, watching them with hungry eyes. Eyes, that screamed of the desire to play volleyball. Just when the captain wanted to start the training, he caught an orange blur from the corner of his eyes. He bit his smile away when he saw the boy, who was trying to rush inside while doing his best not to get caught. It was easy, though, since everyone but Kita was too focused on preparing for practice.

"Good, everyone. Sit down in the middle of the court, please. As you know, the qualifiers tournaments are coming up, and high hopes are placed on us. Last year, we easily qualified without any big troubles. This does not mean that the same is going to happen this year. Each season brings in new players, which makes our opponents a whole new team. We do not need things like memories. The present moment is what's important to us. Therefore, I want each and every one of you to be ready to give their all. However, overworking is not allowed, keep that in mind, Atsumu." He sent a glare to the setter at the end, which was received with a pout. Kita shook his head and already felt the headache coming.

"Well, that's all. Now let's start the training. Osamu, it is your turn to lead."

Shouyou could not help but stare in admiration as he watched the session. The boy who led it had incredible skills and got along with the setter, which resulted in incredible attacks. Would he be able to sync with the setter as well? He hoped so.

Kita could not help but feel like the stray was different today. Yesterday he was watching the training session with sadness and hunger. Today, his eyes were excited and hungry. Something must have happened since the last time he had seen him.

"You are really something else, little stray."

When practice was over, Suna rushed over to his captain. He had to share the results of his research with him. The middle blocker could not help but feel excited about it. There had been a couple of rumors about a new force from Miyagi, but no one in Hyogo had really cared about them. Who would have considered the chance of a part of this new force moving here? Suna had found some videos of this new force, Karasuno, play, and he had to admit, he was impressed. The team was lacking in several aspects, but each player had a fire in their eyes and a desire to get the next point.

At first, he was confused about why the duo was known as the freak duo. After watching some videos, he understood why they got that nickname. The middle blocker could not believe his eyes when he first saw number nine and ten's quick attack. And now half of the freak duo was here at Inarizaki. Kita had to be informed about that. They had to make sure that the boy joined their team. Suna knew that he did not take the initiative often, but since he knew that no one from his team was aware of the potential hiding in this small new student, it was his duty to do something.

"Kita, we need to talk." The captain turned around and nodded at his middle blocker. "Okay, let's talk." They walked into the locker room and sat down.

When Suna explained what he found to him, Kita could not help but laugh. He had not planned for this to happen, but it was a nice turn in events. Suna Rintarō, someone who rarely showed his care for the team, had taken effort and done some research. 

“I do not understand, why the kid has not come to us yet.”, the middle blocker complained after explaining. “I took all his measures today, and he is incredibly fast. In addition to that, he owns a good damn pair of Adidas Originals Crazyfights.” The captain looked up for a moment before he decided to share his thoughts with the middle blocker. “When he was shown around campus, I met his eyes while closing the door, you know? His eyes were holding a true longing and desire. I could not help but wonder about the reason for this longing. And then he sneaked in our practice to watch us in secret. Not only that, but when he believed to be alone, he practiced on his own. In addition to that, I heard his classmate mentioning the golden foxes and our team having three of them. Now adding your information to that, I believe him to be scared to join a team as well-known as ours when he comes from an unknown one.”

Suna considered this option and nodded in agreement. “I am not going to repeat myself, captain, and please do not tell Atsumu that I am talking like this about him. I believe, that if Hinata Shoyou joins our team and he syncs with Atsumu, those two will be an even more powerful force than the Miya-twins. After seeing him run on the tracking field, I cannot help but wonder what would happen if Atsumu set for him. The attack would be out of this world. Therefore captain, we need to make sure he joins our team.”

Kita got up and nodded. “We need and we will get him, trust me.”

When Hinata was sure that everyone had left the gym and dressing room, he came out of his hiding spot and turned the lights on. One last time he would practice on his own, before trying out for the team. He wanted to be prepared.

“Well this looks like a nice try of a jump serve. But the timing of you throwing the ball into the air and your jump is of. You need to coordinate these movements better. They seem to be two separate movements right now. But you need to view them as a set. I will show you”, a voice out of nowhere said some time in Shoyou’s practice. He turned around and let the ball fall in shock.

Standing in the gym was no one else but Inarizaki’s setter, Miya Atsumu. And the blonde boy did not seem annoyed or angry at all. He had a smug expression as he walked towards Hinata and took the ball from the ground. He showed him a flawless jump serve, that Hinata’s eyes started to sparkle. “This was so damn cool Miya-san.”

The setter grinned in a cocky way and went to pick up the ball once again. “Well, you need to improve a lot. But call yourself happy that I love teaching people who want to be taught. You must be Hinata Shoyou, the new kid the first years have been talking about.” Hinata nodded took and the ball out of the setter’s hands. “Not going to lie, you seem a bit small for a volleyball player but who am I to judge? Your passion for the sport is obvious. Do you plan on trying out, or will you keep playing after our practice session alone?”

Once again, the world seemed to stop for a moment and the former middle blocker took a deep breath and reminded himself of the people supporting him. They believed and trusted him. They had ensured him, that they were still a team. Now he had to make his part and act upon this trust placed in him.

His eyes met Atsumu’s.

He nodded.

The setter grinned brightly. “Well, see you tomorrow in the morning than Hinata Shoyou.”

The two players stayed like this for a while, staring into each other’s eyes and grinning.

Back at home Hinata stared at his phone. He was faced with a crazy amount of unanswered texts, waiting to be replied. But Hinata’s eyes found one contact in a split of a second. He dialed it and did not have to wait a long until the call was answered.

“Shoyou, are you okay?”, the person on the other side wondered. Hinata closed his eyes for a second and pictured what his friend was doing at the moment. Was he about to eat something? Or to organize his stuff? Or was he simply playing a game? No matter what, now was not the time to overthink that.

“Kenma, I transferred to Inarizaki and tomorrow I am trying out for their team. I am so sorry for not telling you earlier but I…” “… you got caught up with your self-doubt and fear of not making it into the team”, his friend finished it for him. The blonde let out a dry laugh. Kuroo had been right in the end, not that Kenma would admit it out loud.

“Shoyou I get why you hesitated to tell me about your school. But you should know by now that I would never judge you for anything. Your fears are valid. Everyone who cares about volleyball has heard of them. I am not sure if I would even try out for them if I transferred. However, you also need to keep in mind, that you are one of the most hard-working people out there when it comes to the sport. If they do not accept you, I will personally come over and tell them what they are missing out.”

Hearing his friend’s words, Hinata felt his heart warming up. Kenma knew how to calm his scared mind down. And he believed these words in a heartbeat.

“When are you planning to tell the others?”, the setter asked. “I am planning after try outs tomorrow”, Shoyou answered and looked at his shoes. “I trust your shoes to guide me, Kenma.” The other boy laughed and shock his head.

“They will secure you during tryouts in my place.”

After the end of the call, Kenma looked at the little frame standing on his nightstand. It was a picture of him and Shoyou eating watermelon which has been taking at the training camp. The camp hasn’t been that long ago, but for Kenma it felt like ages had passed. The setter smiled warmly. Shoyou would make it tomorrow, he was sure of that.

“Do I even want to know the reason of you being home this late”, Osamu asked his twin when they were sitting in front of the TV watching a volleyball match. The player kept his eyes focused on the screen, but his mind was in the gym thinking about the boy. He had forgotten his water bottle in the dressing room and had returned to pick it up. The setter was surprised seeing someone playing there on his own. Just like everyone else, he had heard about a new first year transferring in the middle of the school year. The rumors had described him as a small boy with orange hair. The person hitting the ball inside the gym fit this description.

Atsumu did not understand his own behavior. He hated strangers inside their practice gym, but something about the boy calmed his anger before it even arose. The blonde boy had watched him for a while, trying different ways of hitting a jump serve and being lightly annoyed once he failed. But what caught his interest the most, was the fire and passion in his eyes. Someone like this should play it in a team and the setter did not care if he would have to fight his team mates in case they disagreed.

“I made an interesting discovery today, Osamu. Be prepared for tomorrow’s practice…” The other twin stared at this twin in confusion and felt a headache coming. Would anyone mind if he killed Atsumu that night? Probably his parents, team and all the fangirls….

Hinata jumped out of his bed way earlier than his alarm rang. It was 5 in the morning, but the boy could not sleep anymore. He was too excited to meet the team today. Atsumu had told him, that their morning practice usually begins at 6.30 which meant that Shoyou had about an hour left.

But he did not go back to sleep. He wanted to warm up his body well and get some practice in, before trying out. His school bag and training clothes were already packed. Hinata remembered how he and Kageyama had met at 4 am in the gym to practice before joining Karasuno’s team. It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like worlds were between that.

Shoyou looked at his phone and sent Kenma a quick morning text and something about getting ready to try out before he rushed out of the house to the bike and made his way to school.

Just as expected, the campus was empty. Atsumu had explained him where a spare key was hidden, therefore Hinata was able to open the gym. He turned on the light and took a good look at it. He hoped that from today on, he would be able to be here every day and play with the team.

“Hinata Shoyou, FIGHT!”

After changing into his training clothes, he started warming up. He ran across the gym to wake up his muscles before he took a ball and started some spikes on his own. Shoyou did not actively think what to do next. He let his instinct lead him and did what felt good.

It was 5.45 in the morning when Kita arrived at school. He was worried when the saw the lights on in the gym and rushed over quickly. He did not believe his eyes, when he saw the stray playing in there. And he did not attempt to hide it. It was almost as like the stray was showing everyone who entered the hall to look at him and watch his moves.

“So you finally made your way to find us”, he said to himself and stayed where he was to enjoy watching the stray. He seemed so much different compared to the day before. “I guess you won’t stick to any of my plans, will you?”

It was 6.15 when the next player arrived. It was Suna, who could not believe his eyes seeing Kita watching Hinata play on his own. “Captain, what is going on?”, he wondered. “I don’t know. But I think he has decided to come to us on his own…”

Kita decided he had seen enough and coughed loudly to get the stray’s attention.

“K-Kita-senpai!”, Hinata said in shock and fear. How long has he been here? Not only him, but also Inarizaki’s number ten stood next to the captain. Unsure how to act or behave, Hinata looked down. Fear made its way into his mind, but before he was able to fall down a road of self-doubt, he heard his team’s words of encouragement and support.

With full confidence he took the ball and walked towards the players.

“My name is Hinata Shoyou. In Miyagi I attended Karasuno and was part of the volleyball team. I would like to try out for this team. Yes, I might be small but I can jump and I work hard on whatever is needed to be improved. Kita-senpai, please give me a chance in proving myself.”

Kita and Suna shared a look and smiled at the boy in front of them.

The oldest boy took a few steps and placed his hand on Hinata’s head, messing up the younger’s hair.

“I have been waiting for you to find us, stray.”

Suna placed his hand on Hinata’s shoulder. “I have seen some of your matches. You suck hard in some technical aspects but it can be improved with proper practice.”

“Suna, let’s get changed. The others should arrive soon.” The two players walked over to the dressing room and changed into their training gear. “You were right, Kita. We got him.” The black-haired boy could not help but feel excited for starting training with the boy. He was sure that Kita would let him join the team no matter what.

Once they were done they went into the gym, where Hinata was talking to the Miya twins with excitement in his eyes. When Hinata saw them, he waved happily to them. “Senpais! Atsumu said he will set me before official spiking training, is that okay?” The way his eyes sparkled Kita was sure he would not be able to refuse. “Yes, it is. But let’s wait until everyone arrives, okay stray? You can get as many sets as Atsumu wants to give you afterwards.”

A little while later the rest of the team arrived as well. The other boys were surprised to see a new boy standing next to the Miya-brothers. Kita looked over at the dressing room and they understood this silent order to get dressed.

“Now that everybody is here, I got an announcement to make. This is Hinata Shoyou and as you might have heard, he just transferred to Inarizaki. Back in Miyagi he was part of the Karasuno volleyball club. He asked me if he could try out for the team today. Suna, Atsumu and I have witnessed a part of his skills already. I ask you guys to give him a fair chance today. He is lacking in some fields but that’s the case for all of us. Hinata-kun, show us your all today!”

“Yes, Kita-senpai. Everyone I am Hinata Shoyou. Please look after me!”

They began their usual practice program with hitting spikes. “Shoyou-chan, how do you like your sets?” “Give me the highest and fastest set you have, Atsumu-kun!”

“He surely is asking for a lot”, the libero said from the side as he watched the new kid getting ready. Suna, who was standing right beside him, laughed. “You got no idea. In fact, I think Atsumu will have to work harder to match his requirements.” The other boy raised an eyebrow but focused his attention back to the net.

“A good jump begins with a good run”, Hinata remembered Ennoshita’s words. He walked back and when his and Atsumu’s eyes met, he started to run. His feet left the ground at the right moment. And then it came.

The set was beautiful. It felt perfect. The ball stopped right in front of his hand. And Hinata hit it down with full force. There it was. The feeling of having hit a perfect spike.

Hinata stared at his hand before he jumped over to Atsumu. “ATSUMU-SAN THIS WAS INSANE LIKE BOOM AND BAAAHM AND GAWWWH!” The setter was a bit overwhelmed and looked around for help, but to his surprise the others were in shock after having witnessed this attack.

Kita was the first one to snap out of the stare.

He walked over and reached out his hand to Hinata.

“Welcome to the team, little stray fox.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this was a ride  
> Who would have thought that Suna would play such an important role ;D  
> Nobody guessed Suna to appear heheh  
> While reading this chapter, I realized that there were quiet a lot of POV changes, I hope I did not confuse you guys too much  
> But I could not help myself, especially Kenma and Atsumu hehe
> 
> I had like 348973483 different ideas how I wanted Hinata to join the team, but this one kind of happened as I wrote it
> 
> Once again thank you so much for the love you have been showing this story .////.  
> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the prior ones ./////.  
> I am working hard on every chapter and seeing the feedback makes me so happy
> 
> Therefore as always, comments, subs, bookmarks and kuddos are loved .////.
> 
> P.S. Do you want my twitter?  
> P.P.S. Do you prefer longer or shorter chapters?


	4. Adjusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After these words, the elder got up and held his hand towards Shoyou.  
> “Welcome to the team.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello welcome to new chapter of Red Crow  
> I do not have a lot to say before the offical chapter 
> 
> All I can say is, hope you enjoy it!  
> See at the end!

_Kita was the first one to snap out of the stare._

_He walked over and reached out his hand to Hinata._

_“Welcome to the team, little stray fox.”_

The former Karasuno could not believe his ears and stared at the hand in front of him. Did he really hear it right? Kita Shinsuke, captain of the well know volleyball team of Inarizaki High School, had just welcomed him to the team.

The entire gym was quiet, as none dared to say a word. Until Aran decided to break the ice and rushed over. “This was an amazing spike, Hinata-kun! Your speed is incredible! You and Atsumu will become an unstoppable force once you get used to each other!”

The ice breaker had been successful, and the rest of the volleyball team rushed over to Hinata and started talking about different things. Hinata on the other hand spaced out and kept staring at the still waiting hand in front of him. He knew once he took it, Karasuno would become his former team.

“No need to be afraid, little stray”, he heard Kita telling him in a soft voice, as if he was talking to child. Hinata looked up and met the eyes of the captain. They held a soft expression combined with a soft smile. “You are not leaving anything behind by taking my hand. I understand that the current circumstances are though for you. But there is no reason to be scared or worried. I am sure Karasuno wants you to continue playing volleyball.” And Hinata knew that Kita was right.

He took a deep breath and took Kita’s hand.

“Thanks for accepting me, Kita-senpai.”

The entire team started to cheer and Atsumu placed an arm around his newest spiker. He could not believe the spike that had followed his high toss. The setter was surprised that such a spike was even possible to begin with. He realized once again, that inside this little boy an incredible amount of potential was hidden and Atsumu could not wait to see it unleash. He knew that with proper guidance, it would not take too long until it would be unleashed. And Atsumu also knew, that Inarizaki would help Hinata Shoyou’s potential unleash.

“Stray, can you please join me into the administration hall?” Kita asked Hinata in the dressing room after the training. Hinata did not understand the reason behind the nickname, but he did not question it and instead nodded. “We need you to sign some papers about joining the team.” Hinata nodded once again and took his bag.

“Shoyou-kun, we usually meet up during lunch to eat together and have some team time. It’s not mandatory but if you feel lonely or whatever, just know what we are team outside of the court as well”, Aran mentioned before the two players left the room. Hinata smiled happily at his the elder. “Thank you for the invitation, Aran-senpai.” Having said this, he followed Kita into the administration office.

“Shoyou-chan, do you want to join me and the swimming team for lunch? I would love you to meet them”, Aikara said to his friend when it was lunch time. Hinata considered this option for a while, however he agreed against it. He still had to tell Karasuno about his current school and now that he was part of the volleyball team, he no longer had a reason to hide it from them. He knew it would spread soon anyway, and he did not want it to seem like he was hiding it on purpose from his friends.

“I got a call to make”, he told his friend and got up. The other pouted slightly but agreed nevertheless and went into the cafeteria. Hinata took his phone and delayed Daichi’s. His captain answered the phone after a couple of rings.

“Hinata! It’s been a while! Wait, everyone else is here, I will put you on speaker.”

“SHOYOU!” Noya’s loud and energetic voice greeted him. The boy laughed.

“Hello Noya-senpai and everyone else!”

“How are you doing? It’s been a while since you called anyone of us. Are you fine? Is your new school okay? Are the people nice to you? Are you eating..” “Suga-san, calm down and ask him one question at a time. I am sure he has a reason for calling us, don’t you?”

Hinata could not help the grin that had spread across his face listening to his friends being themselves. He missed them a lot. But this was not the time to be nostalgic.

“Yes, I do. I believe I have not told you about my new school yet. I transferred to Inarizaki High and starting from today, I am an official member of their volleyball team.” Just as he had expected, chaos broke down after these words. A mix different voices was heard and Shoyou could picture Daichi and Suga trying to calm everyone down.

“I did not intend to hide it from you guys. When mom told me that my school was Inarizaki, I was scared. It is a huge powerhouse and I am… You guys know my skills the best. It took me two days to find the strength to try out for them.” Apparently, this was enough to calm the wild players down.

“Hinata, we told you that we always have your back, no matter where you are. I am so happy you tried out for them and made it. But don’t overwork yourself, okay?”, Daichi said. Hinata nodded, though they could not see it.

“Yah, boke, you don’t win only because of your school, get it? You got a long ass way in front of you! You better improve fast, otherwise Karasuno is going to beat Inarizaki’s ass at nationals.” This was unmistakably Kageyama. “Well, we will fight at national court than. And guys, I miss you.” He hung up after this.

All the unspoken words had already been gotten across.

_Glad you made it. Congratulations. Keep up the good work. Be careful._

And many, many more.

Hinata smiled softly before he opened the Tokyo camp group chat and shared the information about his new team. He turned his phone off afterwards. One look at his watch told him that he had some time left.

As the boy was not that familiar with the school yet, he decided to wonder around a little. Maybe he could find a nice and calm place he could find peace in. Looking back, he laughed about this day. None but the volleyball team and lady in the administration knew about him having joined the team. And to say that Hinata was scared of people’s reaction was an understatement.

He could already hear people talking about his height instead of his skills. It was something the middle blocker had to deal with no matter where he went.

His feet had led him to a garden like place near to the volleyball court. Shoyou could not help but smile. Iwaizumi-san had given him a book on flowers and their different meanings. Shoyou sat down on a bench and smiled softly at the flowers. He smiled thinking about the elder. The orange haired boy was grateful that the Seijoh player had been by his side during his last days in Miyagi. He was unsure how he would have told his team if the ace had not been beside him and helped texting them.

“What are you thinking about?”, a voice asked. Shoyou turned around and his eyes met one of his fellow players. It was Atsumu’s twin brother, Miya Osamu. The boy lowered his head lightly in respect and turned his eyes to the flowers again.

“You don’t need to tell me if you do not want to”, the player said when Shoyou did not answer his question. “Aran was wondering if you were fine as he almost hoped you would join us for lunch today. No bad blood taken by the way. He just wants to help you easing in here.”

Hinata turned to face the player and smiled softly. “Thank you for telling me, Miya-san. I called my old team and told them that I made it into the team of Inarizaki. I haven’t told them prior about which school I transferred to,” the orange haired laughed.

“Please call me Osamu. You are calling Tsumu by his given name anyway. I understand. You know our team is a team outside the court as well. If you ever need to talk to someone, you always have someone to go to. It does not matter that you just joined us. Most of us have known each other almost their entire lives but this does not mean you are not welcome. We welcome anyone who loves the sport and is willing to give his best. Also, I saw your jump. Please make sure and give my brother a good challenge.”

Shoyou tilted his head as he did not understand what his teammate was talking about. “Atsumu is a genius in setting. Nobody can deny it, as much as we would love to. But it seems like you offer him a real challenge. Your jump combined with your speed is something none has seen before yet. Yesterday Tsumu was home late because this idiot forgot his water bottle. I did not understand why it took him this long to get it and I also did not understand the things he was talking about while we were watching TV. But now I get my stupid twin. He was talking about you, Hinata. In all honesty. I am looking forward to how the two of you will synchronize and what you will show us.”

After these words, the elder got up and held his hand towards Shoyou.

“Welcome to the team.”

Shoyou smiled, got up and took the hand.

“Thank you, Osamu-san. And please call me Shoyou.”

Osamu grinned. Just like the rest of the team, he could not feel but be excited to the change brought by this little boy. His height might be small, but his presence was huge.

Kita and Aran decided to pick their latest addition up after class. During lunch the team had talked about how to ease the beginning for their new player. Because true to Osamu’s words towards Shoyou, everyone knew at least someone for more than a year.

“You think he will be happy about it, Shinsuke?”, Aran wondered as they made their way towards his classroom. “I am not sure, if I am completely honest. When it comes to our stray, I feel like I cannot plan anything. This boy already crossed my plans on his recruitment. However, I heard rumors about a certain leader having looked for him already to try and recruit him for the tracking team. If I am completely honest, I want to ensure his membership in our team before other sport teams try to recruit him. It would make the situation uncomfortable for our little stray and he does not need additional worries”

“Oh my gosh, look! Kita-senpai and Aran-senpai are in front of our classroom! What are they waiting for?”, whisperers could be heard as the class still had not ended. It was Shoyou’s last class and his concentration was far gone already at this point. The boy was not used to paying attention in school when he had practice in the morning. He was energetic but because most of his energy was used on volleyball, academia suffered.

When the teacher showed mercy on her students, almost everyone but Shoyou and Aikara rushed towards the door to greet the upperclassmen. At some point in class he had told his friend about being a volleyball player and having made it into the team. But the happenings now were a little too much to the small player. Hinata let out a soft sigh. Aikara on the other hand could not stop laughing.

“My, I would have never dreamed of meeting Aran and Kita-senpai in front of my classroom! You got no idea how big this is, Shoyou! You are being picked up by two golden foxes! This is nuts!” Shoyou let out an almost desperate sounding sigh and nodded. In his head he compared it to being picked up by the Grand King and this comparison did not seem to be too far off.

Taking his bag, the orange haired boy smiled at his friend. “You don’t need to feel sorry for me today, Aikara, since I have practice on my own today!” The friends laughed cheerfully and walked towards the door, where still most of their classmates surrounded the popular upperclassmen.

When Kita saw his stray, he grinned softly and nodded at him. “We decided to come and pick you up, little stray. It’s your first official practice after all. You better get used to being in our team, we got nationals to qualify for.”

Every student that had surrounded them before, turned around with shock in their eyes and starred at the transfer student who rubbed his head in a nervous manner. Before his classmates could start throwing their questions at him, he rushed to the elders quickly and the trio made their way to the gym.

“I really appreciate you picking me up, but there was truly no need to”, the boy said as he pouted lightly. He almost felt like a kid being picked up by his parents after school. Aran ruffled though the younger’s hair in an affectionate manner. “We know, don’t worry. But there might be the possibility of other teams trying to recruit you and we cannot let this happen. After all, we just got you, Shoyou-kun.”

Shoyou could not feel the pride from hearing these words.

They were the first ones to enter the dressing room. Hinata took a closer look at the room, as he had not taken one before. It was different from his former one, were many posters were on the walls. It also lacked photos, Shoyou thought. It felt like a smile room without any personality.

Kita realized the discomfort from the student and turned towards him. “Missing something?”

“It simply feels different than my former one. Tanaka made us all bring something personal to decorate the room.” The elder boy nodded in understanding. He did not want to change a lot of things, but now that the stray mentioned it, their club room did indeed lack some personality. Before Kita could suggest anything, the little stray had already rushed into the gym. The captain let out a soft laugh and shock his head. “As I said, Aran. One cannot plan with this little stray.”

Shoyou rushed into the gym and started with some warmups. The boy could not help the excitement of his first practice as an official team member. It would be different than the morning training which had attacked like his personal try outs.

“Seems like someone cannot wait for his first official training”, a familiar voice laughed. Hinata grinned happily as he knew that voice and smiled at the setter. “Atsumu-san! Yes, I am! So far, I have only been watching your session from the back of the gym. The session was totally different than at Karasuno.” The setter nodded and left him alone to get dressed.

Slowly the gym filled with the members of the team. Most of them were surprised by Shoyou’s excitement and watched him running from side to side and adding jumps here and there. Kita laughed when he heard a comment from one of their first years talking about how insane the stray’s stamina was.

“He will change our dynamic for sure, Aran. I am not sure how we are supposed to handle two volleyball addicted players. We will have to keep a closer eye on him for sure.” Aran agreed with his friend, his eyes not leaving Hinata even for a second.

“Okay, since everyone is here, let’s gather around. Little stray, please stop for a second and join us.”

Hinata nodded, put the ball away and rushed over, finding space between Suna and Atsumu.

“Since you saw two of our usual sessions already, nothing what I will tell you know should be new for you. But I want you to understand the reason behind this system. As the 1st years tend to have the least amount of experience, we came up with having one of the upperclassmen leading each session. You saw Suna and Osamu doing it. Today it’s Atsumu’s turn. This means that the one responsible for the afternoon training comes out with a concept what to do and why. Different people carry different views which makes finding weaknesses easier. We want to know all our weaknesses before our opponents can figure them out. That’s usually the first hour. After this, it’s time for individual practice. This time can be used to work on receives, spikes, some combination or anything else. Each opinion is important to the team, so if there is anything on your mind feel free to say it freely. Aran mentioned earlier that we are a team. On court and off court. Everyone is key to our success. Any questions?”

Hinata tried to absorb all the different information and kind of nodded. Then he faced Atsumu with big, hopeful eyes. “Does this mean I do not have to beg you to set for me?”

The entire team busted into laughing. None could believe the innocence behind this question. What added to the joy was seeing their usual cocky setter’s reaction to it. Because the setter was speechless. “He will annoy you once you start training, Shoyou-kun”, the libero answered in Atsumu’s place.

And something in Hinata’s eyes changed when he said the next sentence. “He won’t. I will work hard to set any given ball. Because any set ball can be turned into a powerful spike, if I only work hard enough.”

As Suna was the only one who had watched Hinata playing in a match, he was the only one who understood the reasoning behind this sentence. He was the first to break out of the shook everyone was in. “Well, spiking is nice, but your receives are a mess. You can work with the annoying twin later, but today I own you for some proper receive training. And no, you cannot have him, Atsumu, because I already talked to Kita-senpai earlier. This happens when you stare at him instead of taking action.” The middle blocker smirked at the setter and placed an arm around the orange haired boy. “We will get you into shape, little stray.”

Training was hard. Probably one of Shoyou’s hardest training sessions he had ever had. Atsumu’s was of leading practice was different compared to Daichi or Ukai. As the setter, Atsumu’s main focus was speed and reaction time, two things the middle blocker was known for, however in this new environment everything was different.

But Shoyou loved the thrill this challenge gave him. He also loved practicing spiking. Aran-senpai quickly pointed out some lack’s in Hinata’s movement and gave him ideas how to fix them. And Shoyou was grateful for it.

However, he could not help but pictue his old team. The boy wondered how they were doing without him. Did Kageyama already come up with a new quick with someone else? In a short moment, when Shoyou was all on his own, a single thought made its way into his head.

_Had he already been replaced?_

_Was he that easily replaceable?_

Before his mind could run into a destruction mode, Atsumu called him out for service practice.

And Hinata was grateful for this distraction.

Atsumu had noticed the change in atmosphere around the middle blocker and had decided to add service practice. He did not want the short boy to get lost in negative thoughts. Not when they had a lot they could work on. As a setter bringing out the best in each player was his goal and just like his captain, he felt like there was so much more to bring out in Shoyou. And he would work hard with Hinata to bring out as much as possible.

After official practice, Shoyou and the Miya-twins stayed a little bit longer. Kita warned them not to overwork themselves and left the hall, not without sending a warning glare to Osamu. The grey-haired player felt the responsibility being shifted on him.

The trio practiced different things, mostly quicks as they tried to imitate the new quick Hinata and Kageyama had developed in the training camp in Tokyo – the minus tempo one. The twins could not believe when Hinata told them that Nekoma and Fukorodani were good friends of him. They knew these two teams from the last tournaments as well as these were two well known names in the Japanese volleyball community.

“Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san actually tried to teach me service aces at the end”, Shoyou told the twins. His eyes sparkeled in happiness as he remembered it. Both of the twins felt overwhelmed with the excitement coming from the boy.

“You really love volleyball Shoyou”, Atsumu grinned. Shoyou only nodded in response. “There is nothing I love more than that.”

When Hinata was at home, he told his parents about having joined the volleyball team. They were happy for their son being back at the sport he loved so much. The orange haired boy went upstairs into his room and turned his phone on.

Just as he had expected, there were over 300 unread messages. Most from the Tokyo camp group chat. Everyone wanted to know how try out had been like, how Inarizaki was outside the court and much more.

Shoyou sighed a little and started answering some of the questions. He was currently talking about how cool Atsumu was, right when the Grand King texted him.

 _‘Have you opened our gift already?’_ Shoyou had not. With all the changes he was faced, Shoyou had totally forgotten about the farewell gifts he was allowed to open one by one.

 _‘No, I haven’t’_ He answered and looked around his room looking for the gift. After some searching, he found it. It was a small gift, wrapped in light blue paper. He was unsure what to expect from opening this gift. Hinata had gotten along with some of the Seijoh players but them giving him a gift had truly taken him by surprise.

Then he opened it.

It was a book with a sticky note on the cover.

_‘I watched Oikawa train himself to death and I do not want this to happen to you. You both are addicted to volleyball, therefore I got you this guide on volleyball training with different aspects such as diet and so on. Let me know if it helps you. Keep going, Shoyou._

_\- Hajime_

_(and the rest of Seijoh since they paid for the book as well)’_

Hinata smiled and removed the sticky note taking a closer at the book. Just as the sticky note it had various chapters on diet for a volleyball player, but also sleep, meditation and other things. Putting the book aside, he took his phone and send a grateful text over to Miyagi. He was indeed a lucky guy, wasn’t he.

Back in Miyagi Oikawa could not sleep. Just like everyone else, he had heard about Chibi-Chan having joined the Inarizaki volleyball team. He did not know what to think about that. Chibi-Chan had been someone he really enjoyed playing against, especially due to his unpredictability.

The captain also could not help but worry about Karasuno. He could imagine the struggles the team was facing since it had to get used to play without one of their most important weapons. Maybe he should request a practice game against them before qualifications…

Oikawa shock his head. Their schedule was already packed enough and adding a practice game would only increase the pressure on his team, which would not lead to the desirable outcomes. He had to put his team first. In volleyball one wins with the best team of six.

And Oikawa would do everything he could to ensure his team would end up as the best one.

Shoyou woke up early as usual. The short boy rushed out of the house and rode his bike to school as fast as he could. There had been some ideas in the book he wanted to try out before official training.

He was the first one to arrive at the gym. But Shoyou did not mind at all. During middle school he had learned to enjoy practice on his own. After changing into his training clothes, he did his stretches and run.

There was one important lesson the book had already taught him:

There was a lot about volleyball Hinata did not know yet.

And Hinata Shoyou wanted to learn about all different parts of volleyball.

Kita was not surprised to see Hinata in the gym half an hour before training begin. The boy’s love for the sport was so obvious, one did not have to look far to see it. The captain felt like he would have to keep a tight watch on his stray. Otherwise he would see him doing mistakes that had been done before at Inarizaki.

Kita Shinsuke had witnessed one of his foxes getting hurt due to the heat of the game.

“Hello stray! Do you have anything you want to work on before the others arrive?”

The sparkle in Hinata’s eyes answered it all and Kita went towards him in order to ruffle through the orange hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all:  
> Thank you once again for the amazing feedback on the last chapter .////.
> 
> 2nd:  
> I am so sorry for taking so long to update  
> I am currently facing finals which means I am really busy with writting essays/assignments and trying to study for my exams  
> Therefore I cannot say when I will get to update the next chapter  
> Some of you were interested into my Twitter  
> It is @myuzzuwings however I also tweet about Kpop so you have been warned
> 
> 3rd:  
> I dedicate this chapter to the amazing/wonderful @lalathebambi  
> She has an amazing story called "Geniuses of Hard Work" which I cannot get enough of  
> Please give it a chance and leave a comment under it, if you read it after coming from here ^-^ (https://archiveofourown.org/works/23885314/chapters/57420895)  
> She truly deserves it  
> (Lala, ily uwu)
> 
> 4th:  
> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter ./////.  
> Please leave me your opinion in the comments below you got no idea how happy your comments make me .////.
> 
> Okay, these End notes are way too long  
> As always  
> Comments/kuddos/bookmarks/etc are loved ./////////////.  
> Thanks  
> 


	5. Inarizaki Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata put his phone away and looked out of the window, thinking about the words Kenma had told him. He had to become Inarizaki Hinata. But the boy wondered who this Inarizaki Hinata was…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this an... update?  
> Yes it is  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter and talk to you at the end ^-^

_The sparkle in Hinata’s eyes answered it all for him and Kita went towards him in order to ruffle through the orange hair._

The morning practice went by almost in a flight. They had divided in two different groups to see how playing with and against Shoyou would be like. The dynamic inside of Hinata’s group had less of an aggressive but more of a calm feeling to it.

It reminded the young boy of Nekoma. During Tokyo training camp Hinata had had the chance to play in their team one time and it was different compared to Karasuno. After the session Hinata talked to Michinari Akagi, who was the team’s libero and a third-year student. The libero was slightly taller than him and enjoyed teasing Hinata about his height. For some reason he skipped last name and went to using his first name.

“Shoyouuu, your receives are a mess. Jumping, running and spiking is nice, but without receiving you will always have an obvious weakness which you should not have. People will judge you due to your height anyway. Prove them wrong with acing everything in volleyball.” Hinata pouted lightly and nodded. His former team did remind him about the need of improvement in his receives but not as much as Inarizaki did. And he did his best on improving, but it turned out to be really difficult for him. “I am doing my best, but somehow my face works better for receiving than my arms…”

“Kita, later I am taking Rinataro, Shoyou and the better twin for some proper receive training.” Atsumu wanted to complain about him wanting to practice spiking but the libero sent a glare at the setter and he kept quiet. “Tsumu, I know you want to set for him, but if the stray is not able to receive probably, he will not be able to exploit his true potential. Therefore, for the love of god, please comply for once. After I am done with him, you can have him for practice as much as you want to. However, as I am responsible for our defense, I will not let him be our weakest link. We are Inarizaki. We are foxes. Something as a ‘weakest link’ does not exist.” Osamu and Rintaro laughed about Atsumu’s pain. They enjoyed how the setter was not allowed to explore his newest spiker to the fullest. “I am winning today, Tsumu. It has its pros to be the better twin”, Osamu teased his twin and placed his arm around Shoyou. The tiny middle blocker on the other hand smiled happily at the libero and nodded before turning his attention to Atsumu. “Don’t worry, Atsumu-san. I will work hard to improve on receiving so I can become a spiker that can stay on court as long as possible and hit as many balls as you will set for me.”

The entire team could not help but feel warm by these honest words by their newest member. Everyone could feel the earn meaning behind his words. In this short time Hinata Shoyou had been with them, he had turned into their little sunshine.

Atsumu was trying to calm down after this attack by their newest spiker while Hinata on the other hand had gone into the dressing room and taken out his phone. His display picture was a large group picture back from the training camp and he could not help the sadness that made its way into his heart. Shoyou was well aware of the fact that the chance of him becoming a starter was really low, not to say almost non-existent. The current line up of the team was really strong and did not have any space for a middle blocker who struggled with the basics of volleyball. Hinata let out a sad sigh and took his bag, not before bidding goodbye to his team mates and saying he would meet them in the afternoon.

Kita raised an eyebrow when his stray left before anyone had even a chance of inviting him to their usual lunch. The captain had noticed the change of aura in him and he had yet to figure out the reason behind this. “Shoyou is really something. When he is attacking, you cannot help but keep your eyes on him, which makes him a dangerous weapon. Once he and Atsumu figure out the perfect timing and positioning of the ball, they will create an unblockable quick”, Aran said and the others nodded.“I wonder if he is fine though”, Osamu said. Atsumu turned around and faced his twin with a questionable expression. “Just before he left, he seemed to be pretty sad. There has to be something on his mind. One second, he praised ‘Tsumu and the next thing he looked at his phone only to leave any words.” Kita tried to bite down a laugh but failed and let out one of his rare soft smiles. It surprised him once again how aware his team was when it came to their stray.

“He looked at his display picture. It is a picture of many volleyball players, such as from Nekoma and Fukurodani. My guess would be, that he is unsure of his role in our team”, Suna said as he turned to face his friend and classmate. The others nodded and made their way out of the gym. Before leaving the dressing room, Kita took a closer look at the walls and remembered the stray’s words on how the seemed to be empty. None had ever said this, but now that he thought about it, the captain agreed.

“Guys, I want each and everyone of you to bring something for the walls tomorrow. When you take a closer look, they are really empty and do not represent us as a team. Just take into consideration that the team has to look at whatever you bring, so please keep it family friendly.”

Back in class Hinata avoided talking to Akiara and his friend did not like it, however, he also wanted to give him the needed space. But the swimmer could not help feeling worried about his friend. It had something to do with the volleyball team for sure. Akiara decided he had to talk to Kita-senpai about this. During a break he rushed out of the classroom and made his way to the third floor, where the elders had their classes. As it was common knowledge that the captain of the volleyball team was in class 3-7, Akiara looked around until he found the classroom.

Aran was talking to Kita and Akagi when he saw a young student in front of their class. “Shinsuke, isn’t this Shoyou’s classmate over there”, he said and pointed at the student. The captain nodded and waved at the boy to enter the room. The boy on the other hand felt intimidated and kept a low head, until he reached the seats of the three upperclassmen.

“H-Hello Senpais. My name is Itsuki Akiara, I am Shoyou’s seatmate and friend. I just wanted to talk to you. I am worried about him. He seems to be down today and avoided talking to me.” Kita nodded and let out a deep sigh. While it was sort of entertaining seeing so many people worry about the little stray, it also meant that his stray was in some real distress. Only one person would be able to help the little stray in solving this stress, Shinsuke realized.

“Don’t worry, Akiara-kun. He will be fine, I promise.” Akiara did not understand how the captain could be so sure of it, but he simply nodded. Before he could say something, the bell rang which meant break was over. The first year jumped up, bowed in front of his seniors, and rushed back into his classroom.

Akagi looked after the first year and let out a laugh. “Who do you have in mind, Shinsuke?” “Suna as he is already pretty invested in him. I have never seen him being to straight forward to a stranger.” Aran nodded in understanding. The developing friendship between Suna and Shoyou was interesting to witness. Just like his fellow third years, he could not wait to see its different forms of it.

During the short break Shoyou had texted Kenma, as he felt the urge to talk to the setter and his bestfriend.

_‘Kenma, do you think there is place for me in Inarizaki’s team?’_

_‘Who are you and what have you done with Shoyou? The Shoyou I know would not care about if there is place for him. He would simply prove any team that they need him.’_

_‘But Kenma… Inarizaki is insane! Atsumu-san’s serves are insane! I believed the Grand King’s were insane but the power behind Atsumu-sans….’_

_‘Shoyou, I do not get your point. Yes, you are not in Karasuno anymore and you are in a different environment which happens to be a powerhouse. The only thing you can do is become a powerhouse player yourself, which is your goal anyway. Listen, Shoyou. Be yourself and adapt to the situation. Don’t feel bad for saying goodbye to “Karasuno Hinata” and become “Inarizaki Hinata”. I cannot wait to play against this version of you. Oh, break is over. If you need me, feel free to text/call me whatever.’_

Hinata put his phone away and looked out of the window, thinking about the words Kenma had told him. He had to become Inarizaki Hinata. But the boy wondered who this Inarizaki Hinata was…

Before he could overthink this any longer, Aikara put his arm around him and pulled him into a hug. “How about you join me for lunch today Shou-chan? I want to introduce you to the swimming team!” Hinata thought for a moment before he nodded at his friend. If he wanted to find Inarizaki Hinata, he should familiar himself with Inarizaki itself.

To his surprise Suna was standing in front of his classroom when lunch time came. The middle blocker smiled softly at him and pulled an arm around him. “No excuse today, Shoyou. You are joining us for lunch. The team wants to get to know you better!” Hinata wanted to argue telling that he aimed to join Aikara, however his friend shook his head softly and pushed him a little.

While the two players made their way into the cafeteria Suna complained about Atsumu not behaving in class and making a mess. Shoyou could not help but laugh about this story. He could picture this pretty well. It reminded him off Enoshita complaining about Tanaka and Noya when he got into the club room. Funny how Enoshita and Suna both were in 2nd year.

When the two players finally got to the cafeteria, Suna looked around until he spotted the volleyball team and pulled the little stray with him. The others were annoyed about him being late, until they noticed their little orange haired teammate behind Suna. “That’s why you rushed out of class! You could have told me, we could have picked him up together”, Atsumu pouted as he pulled Shoyou onto the seat next to him. Suna shock his head in disapproval and sat next to Shoyou. “And have all your fangirls scream? No thank you. And I am sure, Shoyou would not want to have to witness this as well.” Shoyou could not help but laugh about this while Osamu smirked at his twin. The other player did not even try to intervene as this was nothing new.

“I am so happy that you are finally joining us today, Shoyou”, Aran said and smiled warmly at the young boy. Hinata wanted to nod until he realized that he had forgotten his lunch. He could not help but pout. A pout which did not go unnoticed by Osamu. The twin raised an eyebrow until he became aware of Shoyou’s lack of lunch. As he had brought too much food as always, he pushed his bento box to the boy.

“Eat. You need to grow, and I got too much anyway.” Hinata was unsure if it was really okay to eat the offered food, so he looked around and his eyes met Kita’s. The captain gave him a small reassuring nod. This was all Shoyou needed. He smiled brightly at Osamu and started eating.

Lunch went by quickly. The atmosphere was friendly but also chaotic. The twins kept fighting with Suna being on Osamu’s side with Aran doing his best in keeping it on civil level. Shoyou on the other hand talked to Kita and Akagi about Hyogo and what was worth visiting. “You really need to visit Yabu though. It might be small but has beautiful nature which makes it worth visiting”, Akagi had said. As Shoyou did not know much about the city he had only nodded. He did not plan in getting to know other parts of Hyogo when he had to get to know his school first.

In that moment he realized that he had to figure out more about Inarizaki in order to figure out who Inarizaki Hinata was. The simple thought discouraged the boy and he let out a frustraded sigh. Who was Inarizaki Hinata?

The frustrated sigh did not go unnoticed by Suna, who had stopped fighting with Atsumu for a while. “I need to buy something to drink before class. Shoyou, wanna join me? I don’t think you where the vending machines are.” Hinata nodded, got up and waved to his team. “See you later in practice! Akagi-senpai and Osamu-san, I cannot wait for our special receive practice later! Have a good day!” And like that the two middle blockers went their way, with of the rest of the team keeping their eyes on them. “You are indeed the mastermind of this team, Shinsuke”, Akagi said and shock his head. The captain smirked a little and enjoyed the feeling of a plan working. It was the first one that worked since the stray joined Inarizaki. “You can always count on Suna.”

The two middle blockers found the vending machine Suna had talked about pretty quickly. The 2nd year got himself some sparkling water. As there was some time left, the two went to a bench near the track field, sat down and enjoyed the sun. “What’s wrong, Shoyou? It seems like there is something on your mind you do not seem to being able to figure out. Do you want to talk about it?” Shoyou raised his head a little before looking down on the ground again.

“If you cannot find the words, don’t pressure yourself. If you want to talk to someone though, feel free to find me.” Shoyou only nodded and leaned against Suna’s shoulder closing his eyes.“I am wondering who Inarizaki Hinata is.” Suna ruffled through Shoyou’s hair and smiled warmly at the younger. This was what has been on the younger’s mind. He placed an arm around him.

“I am getting to know him and think he is pretty amazing. His receives suck though.”

There was something that changed after this. It felt like the worry Hinata has been carrying until now was lifted. Aikara noticed the difference in class. The usual fire in Shoyou’s eyes was brighter and more powerful. The swimmer wondered what the volleyball team had done to his friend to lighten up the fire this much.

When school was over, Hinata ran even faster than usual into the club room, got changed and rushed to pick up a ball. Once Suna entered the gym, Shoyou threw the ball to the second year and grinned. The two did not need many words and began a receive practice flow.

“Stray, Suna, stop your flow please. We want to hold our meeting”, Kita called them out. Shoyou took the ball, nodded at his captain, and smiled brightly at Suna.

“Thank you, Suna-san.”

Shoyou started looking at his team in a different way. When sitting on the bench waiting for his turn to undergo a certain practice session, he kept a closer eye on them. For example, the way Kita-senpai took a calm breath before making a perfect receive or how Atsumu’s eyes always turned a little sharper when he went for a powerful and high set. Hinata wondered why he had never paid attention to this before. If he learned how to watch other players carefully and figure out some of their habits, wouldn’t this make him a better player as well? He wondered if this was a reason why the Grand King was such a dangerous opponent.

“Shoyou, your turn for receiving!”, Aran called him. Hinata nodded and jumped to the court getting ready to try and receive their ace’s spikes. He bit his lips and took a calm breath, remembering what Akagi had told him on receiving powerful and dangerous spikes. He bent his knees a little, placed his right hand carefully on his left while making sure not to make a too tight fist. When he heard the whistle blow, his eyes stayed on Aran, until the ball had reached its highest point.

And suddenly everything changed. It was comparable to spiking yet totally different. Time slowed down and Hinata was able to follow the ball perfectly. His body moved almost instinctive, but still in a controlled way.

He was able to receive the spike perfectly.

Suna could not believe when he witnessed it. While it might not seem like a big deal for his fellow team, he understood how much it had to mean for Hinata. He had seen him struggle in matches with less powerful and easier receivable spikes. Having talked to Hinata about who he would become, he Suna suddenly knew what Hinata would become. He walked towards the little boy, placed an arm around him and smirked knowingly. “Well, this was your best receive so far. You only need to make about 1000 more of these and we can start working on other things.”

Hinata nodded and shouted loudly: “Aran-senpai, one more!”

They kept going until it was way too later. But Hinata did not want to stop now. Not, when he had just understood the concept behind receiving. Aran had already given up and asked Osamu to spike for Hinata. The rest of the team kept a close eye on their newest member. “It’s like he is eating rice”, Osamu had said before switching with Aran. “While eating meat is nice, you get full way too easily. However, you can never overeat on rice. You still crave it. Shoyou seems to have an undying hunger for volleyball that can never be satisfied.” Atsumu had to agree on his twin’s statement which described him perfectly.

“Osamu stop spiking for the stray. He has been receiving nonstop for last hours”, Kita called after a little longer. He did not even try to ask the stray to stop practicing as he was pretty sure, Hinata would not stop. “You have been spiking for too long and Hinata has been receiving too long for my liking.” Hinata wanted to argue, but Kita sent him a little glare. “I understand the desire to improve, but overworking yourself won’t get you anywhere. I will not allow this to happen.”

Shoyou felt the desire to argue, but Kita did not leave any room for arguing, so the boy nodded and lowered his head. The captain smiled softly at the younger and ruffled through the orange hair. “You have already improved a lot. Don’t worry, tomorrow I will personally help you in your receive practice. We will turn you into a real fox, my little stray. Now let’s get out of this gym.”

“See you tomorrow guys!”, Shoyou said as he rushed to his bike. The rest of his team smiled at the boy and waved him. “Make sure to bring something for the wall tomorrow, little fox”, Akagi shouted. Hinata nodded and blushed softly at the new nickname. Kita raised an eyebrow at his friend who sticked out his tongue. “He might still be a stray for you, but for me he is a hungry fox who needs to be fed properly. Osamu, he seemed to have enjoyed your food a lot today. If it’s not too much, would you mind bringing him some food tomorrow as well?” The Miya twin nodded. “Good. Suna you seem to understand him really good. Please help us in understanding him better, okay?” Inarizaki’s number 10 nodded at the libero.

When Hinata arrived at home, he went straight to his room and dropped onto his bed. The day has been exciting for the blocker and he could not feel the pride he felt after his first real receive. Everything had been intentional in this moment. Time seemed to have slowed down in this moment. He took out his phone and texted the Tokyo camp group chat about this experience. The answers came instantly. Many of his friends were equally as proud as impressed about this, while some, Tsukki and Kageyama, asked if this had not been an illusion. Hinata was busy explaining how the receive happened, when Kenma called him.

“Thought you might want to brag about your receive in detail”, was all his friend said. Shoyou smiled brightly and began explaining every little detail on how he knew where to place his feet, arms, how much power to use and how time seemed to have stopped. Kenma laughed lightly. “I cannot wait to play against you with this new skill. You do stay interesting, no matter where you are.” Hinata laughed about this statement while looking at the picture next to his bed. It was one of the Tokyo camp where he was hugging Kenma. He remembered realizing that Kuroo was taking a picture of them and how embarrassed he felt. “I am doing my best.”

Night had already fallen but Atsumu could not sleep. He thought about how different the team felt since Hinata had joined them. As the team’s starting setter, he was the first to witness changes in the individual players. While they were still themselves, it felt like the orange haired boy had unlocked hidden potentials in everyone and brought them to another level. Practice felt easier and everyone has been above top form. In addition, seeing Shoyou’s improvements brought joy. Further, the boy improved at a speed Atsumu had never seen anyone improving before. Not only that, but the boy did not rest at all. While sitting and waiting for his turn, he kept watching everyone with a desire to learn from anyone who has something to offer to him. Atsumu closed his eyes and smiled softly. He could not wait for their first official match together. He could not wait for show the volleyball world their new force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna start of and apologize for taking this long in updating this story  
> Life happened and inbetween I had several writing blocks  
> Tbh, your comments kept me going as I returned often times to reread your kind words .///.
> 
> Therefore if you ever considered writing a comment, I would really be happy to read your opinion on this chapter  
> I did not beta read it, as I did not want to keep you waiting!  
> In the future I aim in not making you wait so long!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you are all being healthy and happy (happy happy~)  
> I am cheering on all of you :3
> 
> as always, comments, bookmarks and kuddos are loved .//////.


	6. Like a fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time since transferring, he truly felt like a student of Inarizaki High. 
> 
> He felt like a fox.

_Atsumu closed his eyes and smiled softly. He could not wait for their first official match together._

_He could not wait for show the volleyball world their new force._

It’s been a little over two weeks since Hinata joined the Inarizaki Volleyball team. Atsumu smiled softly as he watched the orange-haired boy working on his receives with Suna once again. Since his first really successful receive, the boy had been working non-stop and begging anyone to spike for him.

The setter pouted lightly as he wished to work more on their timing, however, when given the chance between spiking and receiving, Hinata always chose receiving. “Atsumu-san, I am not worth your sets yet. I want to be a player being worth on the court and spiking your sets. And in order to do that, I need 789 more successful receives”, the boy had said, when Atsumu mentioned his desire to him.

“You need what, little stay?”, Kita had asked when everyone was surprised by this answer. Hinata had only tilted his head and looked over at Suna. “Suna-san said in order to be allowed to work on other things, I need to achieve 1000 successful receives. And I only managed 211 so far.” Everyone turned around and stared at Suna. The middle blocker raised his hands innocently. “I-I did not mean that in the literal way. I only meant to say, one receive is not enough for him to be decent player.”

Hinata however, smiled brightly at the number 10 and his eyes held a certain sparkle. “No, you are right, Suna-san! Before I do not achieve 1000 good receives that are worth a ‘Nice receive, Hinata’, I will not rest and work harder than before. I will show you my worth, so keep your eyes on me!”

“It’s impossible not to keep our eyes on you, little stray. And listen carefully, you will rest during your hard work. We will not allow you to neglect your health, even if we need to lock the gym. You WILL take breaks, eat good and pay attention in class”, Kita had said while ruffling Shoyou’s hair. The team noticed that Hinata enjoyed having his hair messed with, though they were sure he would never admit it.

Atsumu smiled softly at this memory, when he noticed Hinata walking towards him. “Atsumu-san, are you free after practice?”, the boy asked. The setter nodded and grinned cheeky. “Are you done with your 1000 receives already?” Hinata shock his head and pouted deeply while leaning against the setter. “Not yet, I need 489 more. But I brought cake and was wondering if you would like to eat it with me. I also asked Kita-senpai, Aran-senpai, Suna-san, Osamu-san and Akagi-senpai and they agreed.”

The setter would have loved some time alone with the middle blocker, but he understood where the boy was coming from with asking the people, he was close with from the team. “I would love to join you. There is a nice place by the river we could sit and enjoy your cake, Shoyou-kun.” The boy’s sparkling eyes were the only answer Atsumu needed. “I cannot wait to see this place!”

When practice was over, Kita called the team into the middle of the gym for a little meeting. “The qualifications for nationals are approaching. We are already qualified due to our achievements in the last competition. This means we have a slight advantage over other teams. However, with Hinata as part of our team, we are also flowing into an unknown direction. That’s why the coach and I had a little conversation. The next two weeks, we are all excused from school and will have a training camp. This will help to ensure our teamwork and also allow us to test out more than we can with the current given time. Stray, no need to worry about expenses or attendance, everything is covered and arranged with school board.”

“Kita-senpai, I am not even a starter, why do you put so much more effort into me?”, Hinata asked confused, his head being on Suna’s shoulder. “Because you are a valuable member of our team, that’s why, little stray. We are doing it not only for you, but for the team in general”, Kita answered with a rare, soft smile. “We want to know how use every single aspect of you to our advantage. Also, haven’t you said you need 489 more receives before you can work on something else?” Hinata only nodded at this statement, raising his head a little from Suna’s shoulder and staring at the captain with big, soft eyes. “I will help you achieve this goal. Think of your next goal, because you will reach the other one soon. How about Inarizaki winning nationals?”

“THANK YOU KITA-SENPAI! YOU ARE SO COOL OH MY GOSH!”, Hinata said excitedly while jumping up non-stop. “Stop jumping, you are making everyone dizzy. You deserve this treatment. Even though I said the number of 1000 as a joke, you rose to the challenge and managed to make over 500 good ones in little more than a week. Take the reward, Shoyou”, Suna said while holding onto his friend.

The two number tens shared a look which felt like a silent conversation. Hinata stopped jumping and pouted again. “I am just so excited. Sometimes I feel like this cannot be real. When I was told we are moving away, I was scared if I would never be able to play volleyball in a team again. After I heard which school I was transferring to, I was afraid of not standing a chance in joining their team. And now is said team doing so much for me. It’s overwhelming.”

Atsumu and Osamu shared a look, before the twins went each to a different side of Hinata and raised the boy into the air. “Good things come to those who work hard. And you worked hard. Now enjoy the view from the top, because this is the view we are aiming for”, Osamu said.

The entire team laughed about the little act in front of their eyes while also enjoying one of the few moments outside a match, where the twins agreed on something.

“This sounds like a lot of fun, Shoyou. I am glad you are getting along with your new team that well”, Iwaizumi said. Hinata smiled brightly and nodded before realizing that the other could not see it and turned the speaker on his phone. After the little hangout with some of his teammates by the river, which incredibly beautiful and Hinata had to take many pictures, he had called Seijoh’s ace to catch up on some recent developments as well as to have a nice chat with the elder.

“Yeah it was. I still cannot believe the amount of effort they are taking for me, but I am grateful. You would not recognize my receives now, Hajime-san! I haven’t received even once with my face now! That is so cool!” The ace laughed about Hinata’s remark and the younger could hear the grin. “That’s good. These receives looked really painful.” “I cannot remember if they were or not, Hajime-san.”

The two laughed on this comment and Hinata closed his eyes, imagining them hanging out in person. He felt like it was weird having befriended Seijoh’s ace before him moving and not while still living in Miyagi. He wondered how it would have been to hang out with the elder in his hometown and maybe even talk him into showing him some volleyball tricks.

“The book you gave me is really helpful! I never heard of the many different stretching methods!”

“Yeah, these techniques are pretty unique but also pretty helpful. Be careful to follow the instructions though!” “I am, don’t worry. If I am unsure how to execute a certain movement, Kita-senpai is helping me.” “He seems like a good captain.” “He truly is. Kita-senpai takes notes on almost everything and remembers even the tiniest details about our team, I wish I had his brain.” The two laughed again on this comment.

After another 30 minutes of talking, the two friends decided to call it a day. Hinata got up from his bed and looked at the poster which was on his desk. It was the poster Yachi made to ask for contributions for the volleyball team. He had to admit, he looked pretty cool in the photo. The boy considered bringing it to the club room, however, he did not want to hurt his team’s feelings with hanging a poster of him in his former jersey. Maybe he could ask Suna-san on his opinion on that. 

The next day, the team did not have any morning practice, as they would begin their training camp the next day. However, Hinata still went to the gym at 6 in the morning and went through his personal stretching routine. Being alone in the gym felt familiar to the boy, as it reminded him back of the days when he had no team and played on his own.

Around 6.30 the door was opened, and the Miya-twins entered the gym, both grinning at Hinata. “I knew, you would be here in the morning. You can call yourself lucky that Kita-senpai did not forbid us from practicing today, or else you would not hear the end of the song”, Atsumu said as he and Osamu walked towards Shoyou and ruffled his hair. “How many more receives do you need?” “488… Working on receives alone is really difficult, Osamu-san. I only managed to receive one ball today”, Hinata pouted. Osamu laughed and went towards the balls. “Well, we have one more hour left. Wanna practice receives while I work on my serve?” Hinata nodded happily and jumped up and down.

The next hour went by in flight. Shoyou wasn’t a stranger to practicing with the twins alone. They tended to fight pretty easily, however it was usually enough to ask them to stop fighting so they could continue training, for them to stop. And Hinata enjoyed their bickering. It reminded him so much of himself and Kageyama.

“Let’s call it a day. We need to stretch properly before class, and I do not want you to be late for class again, Shoyou-kun. Otherwise Kita-senpai will kill me”, Osamu said. “Why would Kita-senpai kill you, when I am the one being late?”, the youngest of the three wondered and tilted his head confused. “Because sadly I am the one responsible for our trio, as Kita-senpai does not trust ‘Tsumu to be rational when it comes to not overdoing volleyball.” “I overdid it ONE time. Senpai will never let me forget this.”, the setter pouted while putting some balls into the cabinet. Osamu only laughed at his twin. “Anyway, let’s get this done.” Hinata looked at the twin and nodded while smiling brightly.

“Have you heard the news, Shou-chan? We are asked to come into the assembly hall during lunch break today. Apparently, there is going to be an announcement! I cannot wait to find out what it is all about.”, Aikara told Hinata before the beginning of their first class, which happened to be math. “It has to be important if they ask us to come into the assembly hall…”, Shoyou answered and lowered his head on his desk. His plan had been to find Suna and talk to him during lunch break, but it seemed like he had to talk to the elder after school.

When lunch time came, the air felt weird. While everyone rushed through the school to get into the hall and get a decent seat, Hinata looked around in hopes of finding some of his team-mates, whom he sadly did not see. He followed Aikara, who went to find boys that happened to be his fellow swim club members. They smiled softly at him and offered him to join them, an offer Hinata took gratefully.

Inside the assembly hall a man was standing on stage, waiting for all the students to find seats and calm down from the obvious excitement. Hinata and the swim club were able to find some decent seats, that were located on the more front side. While sitting down, Hinata kept looking around for his team, but he still wasn’t able to locate anyone. “Who are you looking for?”, Yuto, the captain of the swim club, asked as he noticed him turning his head. “The volleyball club”, Hinata answered. The captain’s expression changed a little, but he did not say anything and nodded instead. “I haven’t seen anyone of them as well.” Hinata nodded and let himself slide more into his seat.

When everyone had calmed down, the man on the stage coughed a couple of times and took the microphone. “Dear students. Thank you for coming here during your valuable lunch break. I will keep it short, as I am not the one who will do most of the talking. As you all know, Inarizaki High School prides all our amazing sport teams. One of these teams will soon compete once again on a national level, representing Hyogo. As a school, it is our task to wish them best. Therefore, I ask the volleyball club to come on stage.”

Hinata sat up straight while hearing the man’s words. T-The volleyball team? He was part of it… S-Should he go on there…

Before he could even finish this thought, he noticed how all his team-mates went from the side of the stage onto it and smiled at the student body. Kita led the group and took the microphone. “Thank you so much, principal. It is my honor to represent these amazing players behind me. We managed to achieve great success during the last tournament. However, this time I promise you, we will do even better”, Kita smirked and looked around. His eyes found Shoyou and the two made eye contact for a little longer than a second.

The captain broke the eye contact and grinned. “Last time we were fast, but this time we will be quicker. Last time, we were dangerous, but this time will be unstoppable. Because we do not need memories while striving forward.” Kita turned around and the team nodded. “This is the team everyone knows. However, this is not the complete team. We are missing one important member, Osamu-san, please.”

Osamu made his way from behind next to the captain, having a poster role which he opened. Hinata felt breathless.

It was the poster Yachi made to ask for donations. How did they….

“This poster shows an amazing player, and we are really grateful to call him our team-mate”, Kita continued. Meanwhile people around him had figured out it was him and stared at Hinata. Shoyou felt his face turning red while not knowing where to look. Instead he looked at Suna and thankfully the elder looked at him as well. The black-haired boy gave him a reassuring nod.

“I want to ask this little fox to come on stage and introduce himself in front of the student body as an official member of the volleyball club.”, Kita continued while nodding at Hinata. But Hinata could not move at all. He was too overwhelmed with the sudden attention. In addition to that, he did not feel worthy being a representative of his team.

“Little fox, receiving is about timing. Now please do not mess up the timing you worked so hard in perfecting and join us on stage”, Akagi said. Hinata’s eyes wandered around his team and everyone gave him a reassuring smile.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata got up and the team already clapped for him, which made the entire hall clapping. Quickly, just like on court, he rushed over to his team. Arriving in front of the stage, Hinata took one more deep breath and bowed in front of his team, before turning around and bowed in front of the student body. When he got on stage, the team came rushing to him, crushing him in an intensive group hug. After that, Kita pointed to the microphone and Hinata walked over to it, bowing in front of the student body once again, trying to calm his beating heart.

“M-My name is Hinata Shoyou and I have the honor of being a part of the Inarizaki volleyball club. Even though I just moved here, the team gave me the opportunity of a try out. I might be small, but I am powerful and fast. I promise not only my team but also the entire school, to work hard and give my best in the upcoming tournament. Therefore, I ask you guys to keep an eye on me. Thank you very much.”

“You better not underestimate him. If you do so, you might be surprise how powerful he really is. Those who know me, know how much I hate playing with people who suck. And this guy does not suck”, Atsumu said from the behind and Hinata could hear the elder’s smirk.

Kita kept his eyes on the little fox and smiled proudly. He was well aware in what kind of situation he had pushed the younger, but he was also aware, that warning Hinata from that, would have let to him looking for an excuse from doing it. The captain believed that it was better to push the boy into the direction.

After his introduction, Kita led Hinata to the others. “I found this poster online while looking up your school”, the captain whispered. “It would have been a pity not to show off this amazing poster.” Hinata wasn’t able to say anything, instead nodded again and let himself being led by Kita into formation at the back of the stage, standing between Suna and Atsumu. Being between his friends helped calming down his nerves a little as the situation was a little too overwhelming.

“Sorry about that, I would have preferred it another way, but the principal always makes a big deal of us going to nationals. We wanted to tell you, but thought you might come up with an excuse to not be with us on stage, and Kita-senpai was looking for a way to introduce you as part of our team anyway. That way no other team will even dare to ask you to join them. Your athletic skills have been talked a lot about, you know”, Atsumu whispered to Hinata. The middle blocker nodded a little while playing with the jacket of his school uniform, still being totally overwhelmed with the attention he was got.

“Now our team is complete. And this is the team, that will win for Inarizaki High School”, Kita said in his calm but serious manner. The entire team bowed after that and student body lost it. The noises were insane as everyone screamed and cheered on the players. Shoyou could not help but feel prideful about such warm support. For the first time since transferring, he truly felt like a student of Inarizaki High.

He felt like a fox.

He grinned.

Kita rang the doorbell of Hinata’s house the next morning. As the two players did not live far away from each other, he had offered the younger to let him join in his parents’ car in order to get to school, were the team would be picked up by their bus in order to get to the mountains for their training camp. The school had covered all fees, as usual. He laughed about Hinata’s surprised reaction. It seemed like back in Miyagi they had to organize everything on their own. While waiting for the younger to come down, Kita realized that every word he had said yesterday had been true. Hinata had brought the team to a higher level and also tightened the bond between the players. It was like he had been the missing piece, none knew they were missing.

“Senpai, I am ready”, Hinata said out of nowhere, getting the captain out of his thoughts. The elder nodded and led the way to his parents’ car. His mother was really excited to meet the younger and asked him many questions, which Hinata thankfully answered. Kita leaned back a little while thinking about the next two weeks. He could not wait for Hinata to meet their special guests. He chuckled imagining his fox’s reaction.

Hinata was excited to go on a training camp again. He loved playing volleyball 24/7 and being surrounded by people, who love it just as much. He hoped to finish his missing 389 receives as soon as possible, so he could work on his serves and quick attacks with Atsumu. Arrived at the school, he thanked Kita’s mother, took his bag and rushed over to find the blonde Miya-twin, who appeared to be equally as excited as Hinata.

Shoyou jumped into the air and grinned brightly at his friend. “ATSUMU-SAN! WHEN I AM DONE WITH MY RECEIVES YOU NEED TO HELP ME WITH MY SERVES AND I REALLY WANT US TO CREATE A NEW QUICK AND…” “Calm down little one”, Atsumu laughed and put his hand on the younger’s shoulder. “We will do all of it, you are not a libero after all. You are our beloved middle blocker. I watched some of you older matches. How about we try using you as a decoy as well?” “Sounds good. It would be good to have an actual practice match though… Back in Tokyo we learned most of our skills during our matches.”

The two had made their way into the car and Hinata sat down next to Atsumu, as the two were deeply absorbed in their conversation on volleyball. It happened, that both of them had watched the match yesterday and discussed some of the strategies used and how to implement them on their own.

As the ride continued, Hinata felt a sudden wave of tiredness. He almost regretted talking to Kuro and Kenma after the match, after shaking mentally his head. He would never regret talking to two of his best friends.

Not, when his missed them both too much.

Unknowingly his eyes fell down.

Atsumu realized a sudden quietness from his friend and turned around to face him, until he realized that the younger had fallen asleep. He chuckled softly and pulled him to lean onto his shoulder. “Rest well, little fox. Once we arrive, I am sure you will run from one end to another.” He grinned again. “I am sure, you will enjoy Kita-senpai’s gift.”

“Shoyou-kun, we have arrived”, Atsumu said once they got to their destination. However, he was not ready to witness the view of Hinata waking up. The orange-head blinked like a cute cat, before letting out the cutest noise Atsumu ever heard. “A-Atsumu…?” “Yeah, it’s me. We reached the camp. Everyone is outside waiting for you”, he said warmly. Hinata nodded, stretched his body, and got up.

Once he got out of the bus, he could not believe who he saw.

“It’s good to see you again, Shoyou.”

Hinata rushed over to the boy and hugged him tightly, tears threatening to come out.

“K-Kenma!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading another chapter of red crow!  
> After 5 chapters the story is finally heading into the direction we have all been waiting for!
> 
> How did you like my, or Kita's, little suprise at the end?
> 
> Also  
> I FINALLY made a hq/anime twitter account where I cry about haikyuu and anime in general  
> Therefore feel free to find me under @nekoschuuya hehehe
> 
> In addition to that, I aim in updating the next chapter in three weeks, so look forward to it ^-^
> 
> As always, comments/kuddos/bookmarks and subs are loved
> 
> THANKS SO MUCH uwu


	7. “Watch out, you little beast, watch out.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What the hell do they feed him at Inarizaki,” Kuro wondered for the nth time when Hinata received a ball from him AGAIN and passed it to Atsumu, who made a beautiful set for his twin brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ehmm... I am back?  
> I will talk a little more below, so see you there ^-^
> 
> Special thanks to @vanellabean11 for beta reading ilysm

_“It’s good to see you again, Shoyou.”_

_Hinata rushed over to the boy and hugged him tightly, tears threatening to come out._

_“K-Kenma!”_

It was like Hinata’s feet moved on their own and rushed over to hug Kenma tightly. He bit his lips to fight tears and buried his face in Kenma’s chest. The setter chuckled softly while going through his friend’s hair and showing him some affection. Though they called on a regular base, he understood how much it meant for Hinata to see some familiar faces after the sudden move.

After a couple of minutes the friends broke the hug and Kenma grinned. “Seems like I get to play against this version of you earlier than expected. Make sure to show me what your receives look like now, Shoyou.”

“Be ready Kenma, I’ve been having lots of receive training with Aran-senpai and Akagi-senpai! You’ll be surprised.”

“We’ll see that Chibi-chan,” Kuroo decided to intervene in their reunion and ruffled his orange hair. “You look good, seems like the foxes have been treating you well.” Atsumu, who was standing beside the wholesome interaction snorted and raised his eyebrow. “He is my wing spiker, of course we’re treating him well” He placed an arm around the younger boy and smirked at the players. “I have no idea how Shoyou-kun was, when you last played against him, but he’s way better. After all, he’s a fox.”

Hinata laughed and grinned at his friends from Nekoma. “I cannot wait to play against you two.”

“Same here, Shoyou.”

The team carried their stuff into the shared room. The futons had already been placed on the ground. Kita sat down and asked his team to follow his action. Hinata was sitting, as usual, beside Suna and leaned his head on the older boy’s shoulder. “As you saw, the cats from Nekoma are joining us for the following two weeks. They are known for their incredible defense and strategic play, which makes them a fitting opponent for us. I am sure our little fox can give us more information on them.”

Hinata grinned brightly and nodded happily. His smile was brighter than anyone had seen so far, which warmed the hearts of his fellow teammates. “I can’t believe Nekoma is really here. They are amazing players! Their defense is insanely though to get through! But it’s always fun to play against them. I can’t wait to show them my new skills!”

Kita nodded and smiled softly and patted Hinata’s head softly. “We will see than, little fox. Outside the room you can find the sleeping arrangements. And no, it won’t be changed. The coaches and I have discussed the arrangement in detail. Now, let’s discuss the next few days… ”

After the discussion with his captain, Hinata changed into his training clothes and rushed out of the room towards the gym, not even considering waiting for any of his teammates. He wanted to ask Kenma to toss for him and catch up with his friend in general. Seeing him in person brought back the longing towards his old home in Miyagi.

Kenma stood in front of the gym and played a game on his PSP, when he saw Hinata. He paused his game and put it into his pocket, opening the gym for his friend.

“Figured you might come here the moment you got free time. Want me to set for some balls for you?” Hinata’s eyes began to sparkle, knowing how special it was to being offered sets from his best friend.

Hinata nodded and grinned happily. Volleyball was indeed their language.

When Kuroo came into the gym, he was not surprised to see Hinata and Kenma already there and playing some warm up games. Instead, he smiled to himself and took a picture in secret, one he knew Kenma would love to have. “Nice receive, Chibi-chan. That’s truly a glow up compared to the last time we played. What are they feeding you at Inarizaki?”

“Well, a lot of rice, veggies, meat and fresh fish. Our fox is not a huge fan of fish, so I try to not feed it too often to him,” Osamu said and laughed softly, nodding at Hinata as he entered the gym. “’Tsumu and the others will be here in a while. Fancy meeting you again, Kuroo-san. I am kind of responsible for Hinata’s diet.”

Kuroo laughed over this comment and grinned at the twin. He was glad to see that Hinata was taken care of at Inarizaki. He had grown to like the little player and could’t help but care for his well-being. “Miya Osamu, the slightly less annoying twin – thank you for the information. Chibi-chan, aren’t you able to look after your own diet? I don’t recall anyone at Karasuno looking after you that much.”

Just like expected, Hinata chose to ignore the ball, and Kenma, to head over to Kuroo and complain on how he wasn’t nice for making fun of him, while at the same time explaining how his new team was treating him that way, so he could improve even quicker. Kuroo had to fight the laughter and nodded in agreement towards the younger player. It was nice to see how one part of Hinata had not changed.

“Little fox, come here. It’s time for our pre-training discussion,” Kita called their smallest player. Hinata stopped fighting Nekoma’s captain, pouted, and hugged Kenma quickly before rushing over to his new team and sat down beside their number 10 and placed his head onto the middle blocker’s shoulder.

Kenma raised an eyebrow seeing how close his best friend seemed to be with one of the most annoying players in the entire league. “Shoyou is really able to befriend anyone,” was the only thing Nekoma’s setter said before he walked to the fellow Nekoma players and sat down next to Yaku. Kuroo on the other hand, kept his eyes on the foxes. He recalled his phone call with Daichi. The crow captain had called him the other day, to ask him for advice. Hinata was not aware of the fact, that Karasuno was going through some serious troubles, as the team struggled to adjust playing without their decoy. Kuroo shook his head softly, before heading towards his team. While Inarizaki did not have to worry about qualifications, Nekoma had to make sure they made it and they had tough competitors.

Hinata was getting ready for his first match as an Inarizaki player and he was excited. Aran-senpai had agreed to not play the first set, so that Hinata could take the spot and work on his receives during a match. The former decoy was more than just excited to test his new skill, especially against a team that was well known for its tight defense. Before the match began, Hinata went to the coach, smiled brightly at him, and bowed, asking him to treat him well, especially since he was in a different team.

Kita waited until Hinata’s conversation with Nekomata-sensei was over and smiled softly, as the boy got back to the team. “Little fox, there is one important thing we haven’t done yet,” he said and ruffled Hinata’s hair warmly. Said boy tilted his head and looked at the captain with huge eyes that spoke confusion. “You need your official jersey. I am sorry that we cannot give you your old number, since Suna is our number 10. However, we believe we can make you twice as good as you used to be, or even better. Therefore, will you become our number 20?” Following his last words, he took out a jersey with the number 20 and Hinata’s name on it. The former number 10’s eyes widded and he nodded happily, taking the jersey and hugging it happily. Suna, who stood close to him as usual, took out his phone and took a picture of this moment. It was one he was sure none of the team would want to forget. As much as they did not need memories, some were nice to have.

“Hinata, you are playing instead of Aran”, the coach announced before the first set. Hinata nodded and jumped a little, as he could not wait to play against Nekoma again. “You know their team well, so I expect you to use your knowledge combined with your new skills to your advantage.” Atsumu smiled warmly at the former crow and ruffled his hair. Suna joined the two players and smiled proudly at his friend. “Show them how good Inarizaki Hinata’s receives are.”

Nekoma was watching the interaction between their friend and his new team. “Seems like I can tell Suga he can stop worrying,” Yaku said and smiled softly. Karasuno’s second setter had told him how worried he was. “I can’t wait to play against this new Shoyou,” Kenma said calmly and walked towards the court. The entire team could not hide their shocked faces and Kuroo only chuckled before joining his best friend. In the end, only Hinata Shoyou could make Kenma feel excited for a match.

Hinata jumped a little up and down and looked around the court. He took a deep breath and took in all the important information he needed, from the positioning of his team-mates to the rival team. He was well aware how good their defense was and how difficult it would be to get a point against them. But Hinata was ready for this match. He wasn’t the same player Nekoma knew, and he could not wait to prove himself.

Nekoma could barely recognize Hinata on the court. His former loud and demanding playing style had changed into a more observe and defense one. He hadn’t called for any quicks yet, instead he managed to receive many balls from Lev, Kuroo and Kai – ones he always had troubles with receiving. But this Hinata Shoyou was receiving dangerous quicks like it was no big deal, like he was a libero and receiving was his second nature instead of aiming for points. “What the hell do they feed him at Inarizaki,” Kuro wondered for the nth time when Hinata received a ball from him AGAIN and passed it to Atsumu, who made a beautiful set for his twin brother.

Nekoma called for their first time out. It was 12 to 10 in Inarizaki’s favor. “I can barely recognize Chibi-chan! He hasn’t attacked yet, instead he makes it difficult for our attacks to go through,” Yaku complained, taking a sip of his water. Kenma stood next to the libero and kept his eyes on the court. “Shoyou is different every time we play against him, we shouldn’t be surprised about that. We need to figure out how to deal with 11’s attacks. Those are our biggest issue right now. I believe that Shoyou will show us other new layers as we play. Kuroo, keep aiming your spikes to his direction. Kai, keep their libero on track. I want to see something.” The cats nodded and returned to the court, ready to turn the set around.

Which did not work. Inarizaki took the first set of the match, and Hinata was on fire. He loved playing against Nekoma and it felt amazing being able to receives their attacks. The former crow rushed over to his captain and smiled brightly at him. “Captain, did you see my receives? Did you count like you promised?” The captain nodded and gave Hinata one of his rare-smiles-unless-you-are-Hinata. “Of course, little fox. You did a good job in keeping them on their toes.” Hinata nodded and looked over to Nekoma, hoping to meet Kenma’s eyes. Sadly, the setter was busy talking to his team, which made him pout. Atsumu witnessed his spiker doing this and put an arm around the boy. “Shoyou-kun, don’t look for a setter when you have one that can’t wait to set for you.” Osamu snickered and shock his head, while placing his arm also around Hinata. “Hurry up with yer receives, so he can stop annoying the shit out of me, ’kay?” The boy in between them blushed a little before he nodded. “Wait for me, Atsumu.”

The second set was tougher than the first one as Nekoma had gotten the hang on how to deal with the different attacks thrown at them. Just like the first set, Hinata stayed in the back and focused on mainly receiving balls and passing them. While watching Osamu or Suna or Ginjima spike the ball into the opposite court, he could not help it as the desire to spike himself increased more and more with every point. He was hungry for a good spike, it’d been way too long since his last one. Just because he had changed schools did not mean his style changed completely. He wanted to do it again – demand a good toss from his setter. And like this his eyes narrowed until the perfect moment arose.

Osamu was on the left, while Suna was busy keeping his eyes on Kuroo when Atsumu seemed to have no one to set a good ball to. Hinata ran from the back of the court and screamed “ATSUMUUU!” His feet left the ground and there it was – the amazing feeling of flying again. The setter understood his call and sent him a fast and high ball, one that Hinata was able to spike perfectly. And no one from the other side was ready for the attack.

It went in perfectly, and Hinata stared at his hand before screaming in joy. Nothing could even come close to the feeling of achieving a good attack. Atsumu ran over and gave him a high five, while the others were celebrating his successful attack, until Hinata realized what he had done. He had been greedy and felt just like in training camp when he almost destroyed the balance of the team.

He faced Kita and lowered his eyes in apology. The captain instead called for a time-out. Hinata walked slowly, almost hiding behind Suna, towards his captain and bit his lips. “Hinata Shoyou,” Kita said using his emotionless voice. Hinata kept his gaze on the ground and did not dare to breath. “Your reaction was really good. Atsumu, nice toss. You two were able to match pretty well, despite not having practiced that much together. Little fox, can you look at me? I’m not angry.” “You arent?” Kita only shook his head and smiled softly. “Why should I be angry? You reacted quickly to an opening and called for Atsumu to set for you. Foxes support each other and want to see each other grow, but they also allow to remember their roots. You are allowed to spike, also, you are done with yer receives.”

Hinata could not believe his ears. Had he really achieved 1.000 well executed receives? He turned around and Suna nodded proudly at his friend. Akagi nodded as well and grinned brightly. “I’m still counting on you to help me out once in a while though.” Hinata nodded and turned around and faced Atsumu.

“I am counting on you, Atsumu-san!”

“Watch out, you little beast, watch out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it feels so weird uploading this chapter when I promised it to be here much quicker  
> If you read this, thanks for your interest!
> 
> Is it too late to wish you a happy new year or...?  
> Well, I guess it is shfusdif, I hope you are doing fine anyway!
> 
> Why did it take so long for me to update?  
> I guess it is a mix of anxiety issues, some mean comments that broke my self esteem, general depression and shit that had been going on in general
> 
> When will the next chapter be updated?  
> I am going to be honest, I don't know. I am scared of forcing myself to write, as it takes away the fun that writting is for me.  
> Will I drop this story? No. I can promise you that. I have a general idea on where I wanna take Red Crow, and I'd be happy if you would join me on this journey.
> 
> What is my promise to you?  
> That I will work hard to provide an update as soon as I can, while also working hard in improving my writting and becoming a better writer!  
> Thank you for waiting and supporting this fic - it really means the world to me
> 
> Therefore as always: comments are loved ./////.
> 
> See you as soon as possible
> 
> And thank you for waiting for me ;;  
> (also please just comment anything I am literally shaking while writing this)


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